22 4 THE GARDENING WORLD. April 3 1909 
in this country. The seed grounds at 
Wem, Shropshire, are still maintained at 
the same standard of cultural excellence, 
both with regard to fertility and in being 
cropped to their fullest capacity. When 
the cultivation of Sweet Peas was first 
undertaken no one,' not even Mr. Henry 
Eckford, could have imagined the extent 
to which Sweet Peas would have been 
cultivated in the twentieth century, and 
the realities' certainly exceed the most 
sanguine expectations that could have been 
entertained in those early days — the in¬ 
fancy of the Sweet Pea. 
Last year about sixty acres of the farm 
at Althorne Lodge were sown down to 
Sweet Peas, and the rows, if placed end 
to end, .would have measured nearly two 
hundred miles. The reasons for this 
great extension of the special culture is 
due to the fixity and purity of the home¬ 
grown stocks as compared with the seeds 
grown abroad. Mr. Eckford takes special 
and particular care that the extensive 
sowings are thoroughly rogued, not 
merely of bad varieties, but of sorts that 
should not be there. The object is to re¬ 
move all sports and mixtures, so that the 
harvest of seeds will be true each to its 
kind or rather variety. 
It is no easy matter to keep Sweet Peas 
true to name, but the facts in relation 
thereto speak volumes for the care ex¬ 
pended upon the growing: of Sweet Peas 
in the field, both at Wem and Althorne 
Lodge. At present there is an over¬ 
whelming desire to raise new varieties, es-- 
pecially of the Spencer type, but the 
maintenance of the fixitv and purity of 
the standard stocks is even of greater im¬ 
portance in the continuity of business, 
and this is fully understood at Wem, and 
to that fact alone the success of Mr. Eck¬ 
ford is due. 
While thus strenuously upholding or 
maintaining the purity of the standard 
types, the raising of novelties, and the 
fixing of the same before putting them 
into commerce, is, nevertheless, kept fully 
in view. There is always a large number 
of seedlings on trial, but only the select 
of the select are retained for further test¬ 
ing ; and out of thousands differing more 
or less only two or three would be re¬ 
tained to grow on an extended scale and 
offered to the customers of the firm. It 
is no easy matter now-a-days to obtain 
varieties that will be different from those 
already in cultivation, while, at the same 
time, upholding their character as to size, 
richness or purity of colour, constitution 
and other features that are necessary for 
a Sweet Pea to possess if it is to hold its 
own when put upon the market. 
The result of the trials of Sweet Peas 
grown by Mr. Eckford has given proof of 
the purity of his stocks by comparison 
with those which are grown abroad. This 
is one of the chief incentives for growing 
Sweet Peas in this country, where the 
climate is not always of the best. . If a 
larve percentage: of 'the stocks are mixed 
with sports or rogues amongst seed im¬ 
ported from abroad, growers of Sweet 
Peas generally get disappointed. Mr. 
Eckford, therefore, gives full attention to 
the rogueing of the types whenever that 
becomes necessary in the field, and the 
purity of his stocks is evidence of the 
care bestowed upon his cultures. From 
the very first the various Spencer types 
were most provokingly given to sporting, 
but in no case was this worse than in 
Countess Spencer, itself the origin of the 
type. .Mr. Eckford's stocks, however, 
have been proved to be quite fixed and 
pure. 
During the present season three new 
varieties have been put into commerce 
that will take a lot of beating. One of 
these is' the large flowered, rich scarlet 
Dodwell F. Browne, a variety of the 
Spencer type, or a King Edward Spencer 
for those who like that style of naming. 
Another new variety that will find many 
admirers is Mrs. Charles Masters with a 
bright, carmine-rose standard and creamy 
wings, thus making it a bicolor oF great 
size and beauty. Personally, we were 
even more delighted with the variety 
named Annie B. Gilroy, with a crimson 
standard and the wings heavily shaded 
with crimson over carmine. This is not a 
Spencer form, but it is quite to our lik¬ 
ing, and we are glad to note that there 
■is still at least one cultivator resolved to 
maintain the old grandiflora type with 
flat standards, rather than to strive for 
Spencer forms alone, even at the risk of 
getting them quite coarse for the sake of 
variety. Some of the new or recent 
Spencers have the standard quite as much 
goffered as our grandmother’s cap, greatly 
to the depreciation in size and ornamental 
value of the flowers in the garden. 
Another fine flower of recent acquisi¬ 
tion is Mrs. Henry Bell with very large, 
wavy, soft shell-pink flowers. So much 
for the new and recent flowers sent out 
from W em, but there is still an immense 
selection of fine varieties of even quite 
recent origin that we should not omit 
from a collection. In the way of crim¬ 
son and scarlet varieties, there has been 
a gradual evolution at Wem, from the 
bright colours that pleased us a decade 
or two ago till the more recent evolutions, 
including Crimson Gem, that has already 
been superseded by Queen Alexandra, one 
of the best of the scarlet types. Then 
there is the crimson King Edward VII., 
which is almost certain to do well in every 
garden under quite a diversity of cir¬ 
cumstances. Henry Eckford is such a 
delightful shade of "colour that it still 
maintains its own in spite of the strenu¬ 
ous endeavour to get something less faulty 
in habit under a burning sun. There was 
quite a series of white varieties likewise, 
culminating in Dorothy Eckford, which is 
still an indispensable Sweet Pea; and we 
need not shut our eyes to the fact that it 
is one of the grandiflora type with a 
plain standard and not wavy like the 
Spencers. 
In the matter of yellow flowers we are 
still a long way from realising our ideal, 
but the best is grown at Wem, and there 
is more yellow in James Grieve than in 
any other. This has been well attested 
when on exhibition at the shows of the 
National Sweet Pea Society. It also took 
a high position in the trials of. the society 
at Reading last year. In spite of all that 
has been obtained in the way of variety 
of colour in Sweet Peas, there are still 
many varieties in cultivation that require 
superseding by something better. 
Whether we ever get a yellow or not, we 
think it quite possible to get a really good 
self blue, and that is an'ideal still to be 
realised. Maroon and purple are other 
types that still require improvement. All 
these facts are well borne in mind at 
Wem, and the effort at improvement in 
these directions is still continued with en¬ 
thusiasm, while maintaining the purity 
the old types. 
Garden Peas. 
As we have elsewhere stated, the gener 
idea is that Mr. Eckford confines h 
efforts entirely to the Sweet Pea. On tl 
other hand, the firm has been assiduous 
crossing, selecting and trying varieties 
the garden Pea for many years past. Tl 
grounds at Wem are divided between tl 
Sweet Peas and garden Peas for the me 
part. Both are also cultivated at A 
thorne Lodge. A notable advan 
amongst early Marrow Peas is Eckforc 
Prior, which produces long, well-filh 
pods in pairs, and owing to their han 
some shape and rich dark colour tl 
variety is highly prized for exhibition pu 
poses. For cooking it is equally valuab 
as the flavour is excellent. A smaller • 
shorter pod is produced by Eckforc 
Ideal, but it is a heavy croppin 
wrinkled, Marrow Pea, something aft 
the same style as the old favourite > 
Plus Ultra. Eckford’s Premier is also 
recent production, being a Marrow P 
of first-class flavour and heavy croppii 
character. The pods are of splend 
length and filled to the point. Eckforc 
-Centenary is another maincrop variet. 
producing long, slightly curved Pe. 
of exquisite flavour, and therefore wi 
be hightly valued for cooking pu 
poses m the green state. All these ar 
many others have been selected for ti 
various points for which cooking Pe; 
are valued. 
Other Specialities. 
This is not the time to discuss all tl 
subjects grown by Mr. Eckford, but v 
may remind readers that the improvemei 
of several garden flowers was undertake 
before Sweet Peas were actually added 
the list. A fine strain of Verbenas tv: 
one of the first subjects which brougl 
the raiser fame, when Verbenas wei 
more popular than they are at presen 
The high character of the strain is sti 
maintained, and improvements made fro 
time to time. Dahlias from seed const 
tute another speciality, and having bee 
selected with great care for many yea: 
fine varieties may be expected from then 
Stocks, Antirrhinums, Nasturtiums, Pi 
mulas, Begonias, and other flowers ai 
also cultivated more or less extemivel; 
and the same care in maintaining the hig 
character of the seed is extended as in tl 
case of Sweet Peas. 
-- 
Surrey Education Committee.— Inspector 
School Gardens. 
Mr. A. E. Burgess, for several vea: 
lecturer in gardening to the Hertforc 
shire County Council, has been appointr 
Inspector of School Gardens under th. 
Surrey Education Committee. The pi 
became vacant by the resignation of M 
John Wright, V.M.H., who felt liimsc 
unable to undertake the heavy dutjc: 
During the past three years Mr. Horae 
J. Wright has carried out the work o 
behalf of his father, and before adve: 
tising the appointment the Educatio 
Committee offered him the permaner! 
Inspectorship, but other engagements pr< 
vented him from giving his whole tint 
to Surrey. Mr. Horace Wright, howevc: 
highly appreciated the kindness of th 
Surrey Education Committee in givin 
him the refusal of such an honourabl! 
position. 
