488 
THE GARDENING WORLD, 
July 25, 1908. 
NOTICES. v 
To Readers and Correspondents. 
“ THE GARDENING WORLD ” is published by 
Maclaren and Sons, 37 and 38, Shoe Lane, London, E.O. 
Telegrams and Cables: “Buns,” London. Telephone 
Number : 997 Holborn. 
“THE GARDENING WORLD” is published every 
Tuesday, and dated for the following Saturday. Price 
hue Penny. Annual Subscription (prepaid), post free, 
3s. 6d. United Kingdom ; 8s. 8d. Abroad. Cheques and 
remittances generally should be made payable t/' 
Maclaren and Sons, and crossed London City and' Midland 
Bank. 
Advertisement Orders should be addressed to the Pub¬ 
lishers. The insertion of advertisements cannot be 
guaranteed for the following issue unless received by 
Saturday before date of publication. 
EDITORIAL. — Letters for publication, specimens for 
naming, requests for information, manuscripts and 
photographs must be addressed to the Editor. Corre¬ 
spondents should write on one side of the paper only, 
and give name and address as well as nom-de-plume. 
The Editor will not be responsible for loss of unaccepted 
manuscripts, photographs, etc., but if stamps be enclosed 
ordinary care will be exercised to ensure return. If 
payment for photographs or text is desired, the price for 
reproduction must be distinctly stated, and it must be 
understood that only the actual photographer or owner 
of the copyright will be dealt with. All contributions 
of any kind in the Prize Competitions become the 
property of the Proprietors of “THE GARDENING 
WORLD.” The Editor’s decision in Prize Com petitions Is 
final. £ 
SPEOIMEN COPIES. — The Publishers will be pleased 
to send specimen copies of “THE G \ RDENfNG WOULD ’ 
for distribution amongst friends, and will appreciate the 
tervices rendered by readers in this connection. 
Gdifoirial, 
She Sweet ?ea Season. 
Sweet Peas are very much in the air 
just now, but it would be premature to 
sum up the result until the National 
Sweet Pea Society has been held and 
the various audits made, both with re¬ 
gard to new and old varieties. Trials are 
being carried out in various parts of the 
country, and all these have to be ex¬ 
amined in order to keep in touch with 
what is doing in the Sweet Pea world both 
with regard to the older and newer varie¬ 
ties. 
So far as we have hitherto seen, Nora 
Unwin and Etta Dyke hold their own, as 
some of the more advanced types of white 
varieties. In the way of pink varieties of 
the lighter order, we cannot overlook Au¬ 
drey Crier, Princess Victoria, and Mrs. 
Hardcastle Sykes. Amongst the darker 
shades of colour we still have Countess 
Spencer, Gladys Unwin, The Queen, 
Queen of Spain, and Enchantress, all of 
which are excellent in their way. The 
creamy buff and pink edged Evelyn 
Hemus claims notice amongst a field of 
trials for its pleasing soft colours. 
Frank Dolby is a waved lavender-blue, 
but though larger than Lady Grizel 
Hamilton it does not otherwise excel that 
standard variety. Amongst the orange 
shades Miss Willmott has had a long run 
of popularity, but possibly St. George will 
yet claim a large share of the attention 
which has hitherto been given that grand 
old variety. Turning to the rosy carmine 
varieties, John Ingman, George Herbert, 
and Phvliis Unwin still require a good 
deal of beating in their own particular 
shades of colour, especially when they 
come true to character. 
Amongst scarlet varieties, Queen Alex¬ 
andra, The King, and Miss E. F. Dray- 
son take a very high position. The crim¬ 
son King Edward VII. cannot be ignored 
while so many amateur growers continue 
to admire and cultivate it so successfully. 
So far, we do not see that very much im- 
Last month our thoughts were turned 
to the crossing of Sweet Peas, but we only 
considered crosses between different varie¬ 
ties and not between Sweet Peas and 
allied species. 
Crossing with Allied Species. 
As Is well known, in many cases the floral 
world has greatly benefited by the cross¬ 
ing of distinct species of plants. All our 
most popular Roses are true hybrids, but 
not so our Sweet Peas, for although 
claims have sometimes been made to the 
contrary, there are excellent reasons for 
believing that our varied types have all 
descended from the same species. 
There are several allied species of 
Lathyrus (as the Pea family is called) 
possessing valuabLe characteristics that 
we would very much like to see in the 
Sweet Pea. Just fancy a perennial Sweet 
Pea producing a dozen flowers like Coun¬ 
tess Spencer on one stem ! Unfortunately, 
however, all attempts in that direction 
have hitherto failed, but it would be diffi¬ 
cult to point out any reason why a cross 
is impossible, and it is certainly well 
worth attempting, for the conditions 
governing the fertility of such crosses are 
not thoroughly understood, and fortune 
might smile on the novice where the ex¬ 
pert has failed. 
When to Pick tor Exhibition. 
Those who do any exhibiting will know 
that although it is important to possess 
good flowers, it is also important to 
make the most of their merits. 
One point to remember is to pick 
them before the sun is on them 
on the morning of- the day before the 
show. Not only do the flowers increase 
in size, but flowers picked then will be 
open on the show day, whereas flowers 
cut on the morning of the show jnay be 
closed up when they are being judged. 
This rule applies equally to flowers fe- 
quired for button-holes or other purposes. 
Where it is doubtful whether the requi¬ 
site number of flowers will be to hand, 
advanced sprays may be cut even eaUier 
than this, and kept in a cool place, and 
others can be cut on the evening before 
the show. A bud on the top of a spray 
will in a day become as developed as its 
fellows. 
There are some slight exceptions to this 
rule, for in some circumstances it may 
be found that a certain variety loses its 
colour rather badly if kept. In such a 
case the flowers should be cut on the 
evening before the show. 
Hints on Staging Blooms. 
Tn staging the flowers, care should be 
taken that each individual spray is seen to 
provement has been effected amongst the 
bicolors, for Little Dorritt and Prince 
Edward of York still claim attention and 
secure admirers. The self colours, od 
the -whole, are, however, more popular. 
the best advantage. To keep the stems in 
place a little moss or grass in the jars 
will be found of great value. 
In arranging a collection of Sweet Peas 
be certain not to place a colour too close 
to one that will kill it. John Ingman 
should not be next to King Edward VII., 
nor should the latter be near Queen Alex¬ 
andra, for in each case the less brilliant 
colour loses by the contrast. The ar¬ 
rangement of a neighbour’s stand also 
should be considered, for his bunch of 
Queen Alexandra makes any other red 
near it look just as dull as does one's 
own bunch of that variety. 
1908 Novelties. 
Of novelties distributed during the past 
spring, some of the best are creamy pink 
forms of Countess Spencer. Constance 
Oliver is very beautiful and also came 
quite true. It may best be described as 
Countess Spencer on a cream ground. In 
size and form it is an exact counterpart 
of the latter. Nell Gwynne is practically 
the same as Constance Oliver, but has 
produced several plants flaked cream and 
pink. Mrs. H. Bell is a most lovely 
shade of pale cream pink, quite distinct 
from the last mentioned pair. It came 
absolutely true, and there is no stronger 
growing variety. Evelyn Hemus is a 
large waved cream variety edged with 
red, quite fixed and one of the best and 
most beautiful of all. Mrs. C. W. Bread- 
more is very like the latter, but as com¬ 
pared in more than one locality it is 
larger and grows more strongly, but has 
perhaps rather a paler edging of red. It 
is possible that these differences can 
be accounted for by the different condi¬ 
tions under which the seeds were pro¬ 
duced. Mrs. C. W. Breadmore is not 
fixed, for it has thrown a large propor¬ 
tion of plants -with a white instead of a 
cream ground. This white ground break 
is the same as Elsie Herbert, a novelty, 
from the same raiser, and a very beauti¬ 
ful form, but not quite fixed, as it pro¬ 
duces cream grounded flowers (Mrs. C. 
W. Breadmore). Both these varieties pro¬ 
duce an occasional plant of John Ingman. 
Paradise Ivory is a large wavy variety, 
cream slightly touched with buff, and is 
most beautiful and refined. Miss E. F. 
Drayson is a brilliant scarlet, but not 
quite so dazzling as Queen Alexandra. It 
ouite surpasses the latter, however, in 
size, and is by far the largest variety of 
its colour yet in commerce. Unfortu¬ 
nately it burns rather in the sun, and is 
not a strong grower, but it will probably 
improve in the latter respect, for last 
autumn’s stock of seed was very poor. 
Chrissie LTnwin is somewhat like the last 
Sweet Peas 
IN JULY. 
