534 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
August 15, 1908. 
Culinary Peas 
At Prested Hall, Kelvedon. 
Some little time ago when a large party 
of Sweet Pea experts were examining the 
trials of Sweet Peas on the Seed Farm, 
Prested Hall, Kelvedon, Essex, of 
Messrs. Hurst and Son, it was also noted 
that there was a large trial of culinary 
Peas. They, of course, included early 
and late varieties, but the former were 
ripening their seeds, so that nothing 
could be said of their flavour, though 
their cropping qualities were quite evi¬ 
dent. 
Another interesting fact was observed 
in the method of supporting the Peas in 
the absence of stakes. It is an interesting 
question for those who have difficulty in 
securing proper stakes except at forbid¬ 
ding prices, coupled with their short dura¬ 
bility. In this case all of the Peas were 
suuoorted by wire-netting of a strong 
character in the form of frames of useful 
and workable lengths. The supporting 
posts were driven in the ground, so that 
a piece of wire-netting stood on each side 
of the row, offering excellent support for 
the Peas that required no further atten¬ 
tion after the fixing up of these wire-net¬ 
ting frames. 
They were of different heights, to suit 
Peas of 2 ft., 3 ft. and 5 ft. height. These 
frames, being strong, would serve for a 
considerable number of years, and as the 
wire was galvanised it would not be so 
liable to rust as ordinary wire would be. 
Being of convenient lengths and flat, these 
could be stored away in a small amount 
of space in a shed when the Peas are 
pulled up. 
In the brief time at disposal it was im¬ 
possible to do this trial so thoroughly as 
we could have wished. In the course of a 
hurried inspection we noted some desir¬ 
able varieties, both for exhibition and for 
ordinary gardening purposes, either on 
account of their free fruiting character, 
the size, and the number of the pods. 
Telephone is a well-known variety, and 
here was 5 ft. high, notwithstanding the 
spell of dry weather, and furnished with 
large, well-filled pods. Hurst’s Reliance 
recalled Ne Plus Ultra in having a short, 
well-filled pod with Peas of excellent 
flavour. The haulm was only 4 ft. high. 
British Empire was only 18 in. high, and 
carried good crops of long, deep green 
pods, not inflated but full, with nine seeds 
in each of'excellent variety. Late Queen 
was another deep green variety about 2 ft. 
high, fruitful and of excellent quality. 
Autocrat is a well-known late Pea that 
has been found useful for gardens. A 
very late variety is Rearguard, bearing a 
good crop of long, curved pods. Glad¬ 
stone is a well-known Pea with long, 
slightly-curved pods, well filled with Peas 
of excellent quality. The haulm on this 
occasion was only 2\ ft. high. Another 
variety named Glory of Devon was also 
noted for its long, well-filled pods. It is 
also a late variety. Matchless is well 
known as a good cropping late Pea with 
straight pods of large size. Eureka is an¬ 
other Pea of excellent quality which fruits 
well, and was only 2^ ft. high. In moist 
seasons it would, no doubt, easily make 
3 ft. The pods of Prince of Wales were 
not very large, but well filled and borne 
in great quantity upon haulm 3 ft. high. 
Veitch’s Perfection is so well known as 
an excellent mid-season and late Pea that 
little comment is necessary. Here it had 
made stems 3 ft. high, and that is a fair 
average. 
Yorkshire Hero was only 2 ft. high, but 
the pods were very full and borne in great 
numbers. A good quality Pea is Mac- 
Lean's Best of All. The vines were about 
2 ft. high, and the foliage still of a deep 
green colour. Sutton’s Superlative is an¬ 
other excellent Pea about 25 ft. high, and 
bearing very large, straight pods of a 
beautiful glaucous hue and tempting in 
appearance. This is often used for ex¬ 
hibition, as are Telephone, Autocrat, 
Gladstone, Prize-winner, and some others. 
The last-named was 2 ft. high, with very 
thick, well-filled pods containing seeds of 
excellent quality. 
The above were really a few picked at 
random from a very large number of 
trials. To judge all of them it would be 
necessary to visit the grounds two or 
three times, so as to catch the early, mid¬ 
season and late varieties in their best con¬ 
dition. 
-fr+4- 
- Violas. - 
A Letter to the Editor. 
Sir,—In your interesting article on 
Violas (July 4) detailing the conclusions 
you arrived at during the inspection of 
varieties at Marks Tey, I note a few 
names that are not mentioned, doubtless 
for some good reason. May I ask for 
your criticism on the merits or demerits 
of the following varieties, which have so 
far appeared to me to stand high in the 
test of some hundred varieties, which I 
have grown :—William Haig, Cheshire 
Blue, Immortalite, The Mearns, Isa Fer- 
gusson, Hector Macdonald, Lily Graham, 
Nellie Riding, Pembroke, Rolph, King 
Cup, Angler, Lady Warwick and Abbess. 
Are these worthy of cultivation? I sup¬ 
pose that many an amateur spends 
anxious moments in weighing the merits 
of rivals in one colour. How hard I find 
it to choose between Niobe, Swan, Sea¬ 
gull, Masterpiece, Mrs. Scott, Countess of 
Hopetown, White Beauty. The yellows 
are even more puzzling than the whites. 
By the by, few seem to realise what an 
acquisition the dwarf Commodore Nutt is 
to a rockery or border — a plucky little 
Viola that laughs at the snails and the 
heat! Pray let us have a list some day 
of the four best yellows, four best blues, 
four best whites — settle this knotty ques¬ 
tion as soon as you can, please. 
Colin A. F. Campbell. 
Worlingworth Rectory. 
-f+4- 
The canker worm has suddenly at¬ 
tacked the fruit region of Novia Scotia, 
and caused immense loss. 
Sweet Pea George Stark. 
The above is a very handsome waved 
crimson variety, the colour being darker 
than King Edward VII. It is a new 
variety and received First-class Certificate 
from the National Sweet Pea Society, after 
trial at Reading. The raisers were Messrs. 
G. Stark and Son, Gt. Ryburgh, Norfolk. 
Tonpato Cultur< 
Outside and Under Glass. 
This vegetable is a native of Sout 
America, that alone telling us that war: 
sunshine is necessary for the crop whe 
planted out of doors in this country. N 
vegetable has made greater progress tha 
the Tomato during the past quarter of 
century, and many of us can remember, 
few years previous to this, that scarce! 
one person out of ten would look at them 
now the order is reversed, we scarce! 
find one out of ten but has acquired tb 
taste for them. Even now, with so man 
acres of glass devoted to them, larg 
quantities of fruit (this is the term gene: 
ally used, though undoubtedly it is a veg' 
table) are imported yearly from Pranc 
and the Channel Islands, especially ; 
during winter and early spring, and con 
mand a ready sale. The only time whe 
a drug appears is towards August, whe 
our outdoor crop comes in, but the season 
really rule the market. 
Rearing Tomatos. 
Most gardens, however small, embar 
on cultivating a few plants, and March 
a suitable time to sow seeds, so that goo 
sturdy plants may be forthcoming towarc 
the middle of May, and those having 
greenhouse, or an ordinary frame, nee 
not hesitate to join the ever-increasin 
band of cultivators. If a small amour 
of bottom heat can be afforded the youn 
plants in their early stages, so much th 
better, but it is by no means essential t 
their success; doubtless greater progre; 
is made if a temperature of 60 degree 
can be given the seedlings at this date. 
When hundreds of plants are requirec 
the seeds are sown in shallow boxes, th 
seeds being dibbled in about half an inc 
asunder, just covering the seeds, but whe 
only a few dozen or less plants are wantec 
it is best to sow three or four seeds i 
three-inch pots, dispensing with tE 
weaker ones as growth advances, and re 
taining only one plant in a pot. 
Choose a light open soil, such as equs 
parts of loam and leaf soil, presse 
moderately firm, first seeing that the pot 
are quite clean and a small piece of croc 
placed over the drainage hole, a fe’ 
leaves, moss, or a small piece of turf ove 
this will prevent the finer soil choking th 
outlet. Providing the soil is fairly mois 
no water need be given until the seed 
have germinated, which will be only 
matter of a few days, when they shoul 
be placed on a shelf within a foot of th 
glass roof if possible, the aim being t 
keep the plants sturdy from the start 
and until they are set out in their pel 
manent quarters. 
Apply water carefully, and secure eac 
plant to a neat stake before they hav 
a chance to tumble over and get cripplec 
and as soon as you note the roots at th 
bottom, transfer them to large pots, 5^ c 
6 inches in diameter, pressing the so: 
pretty firm with the fingers or pottin 
stick, using loam with just a sprinklin 
of bonemeal, which should have bee 
placed under glass a few days previous t 
get warm. After repotting, give eac. 
plant a watering within twenty-four hour: 
many a plant gets a check by being kef 
