THE GARDENING WORLD. 
5 8 5 
eptember 7, 1907. 
Leer to the Editor 
Sweet Peas. 
^ Lord Nelson and 
Burpee’s Brilliant Blue. 
r, — Your contributor, G. F. Drayson, 
,,r>age 564, in describing the new variety 
Loi Nelson (raised by Isaac House and 
Sr), winds up his paragraph thus: — 
- ; 'iis same variety was sent out from 
Africa under the name of Brilliant 
Be.” 
ow, Sir, the varieties are similar in 
cciur and habit, but Burpee’s Brilliant 
B e was raised by me and sold to Messrs. 
B pee in December, 1905, so that the 
,crce of each variety is different. Mr. 
D yson’s words are capable of varied in¬ 
terrelation, so I hope you will kindly 
p lish this note, as Burpee’s Brilliant 
B e had never anything to do with Lord 
N son. If they prove exactly similar, 
tl N.S.P.S. will be able to arrange a 
n re. Messrs. Burpee possess all rights 
0: heir variety which was raised here. 
Henry H. Gibson. 
:elfast. 
-- 
Gunner a scabra at Delgaty Castle, Aberdeenshire. 
Delgaty Castle, Turriff. 
L ter to the Editor. 
Sowing- 
Cyclamen 
-Seed. 
Dear Sir,—I think a timely word to Cy- 
c.men growers may be of service at the 
psent time. While many growers of 
(clamen sow these in November and 
titivate for tw r o years, I am not giving 
: rade secret away when I say that many 
1-to-date nurserymen sow their seed 
;out August and flower the plants the 
] lowing season. 
Seed should be soum singly in pots or 
1 xes, over which should be placed a sheet 
i glass or paper. The young plants 
ucked into small pots as soon as the 
:st leaf has fully developed should be 
; own in a rather warm, moist atmosphere 
■ til the early spring, when they should 
ready for another shift into a 3 in. pot. 
■ the end of May or early June they are 
tted into 5 in. pots, and this forms the 
wering size with the majority pf plants, 
though a further shift in early July to 
’O or 7 in. pot forms a useful larger size, 
te secret of obtaining good plants in this 
ort space of time lies in keeping the 
ants on the grow' by repeated potting. 
With the coming of warm days in spring 
ants should be kept cooler, and in hot 
iather well shaded, with abundance of 
r. At Messrs. Hugh Low and Co’s., 
osh Hill Park Nursery, the above 
ethods are carried out with much suc- 
ss, and their strains of Cyclamen have 
:en obtained by this means of cultiva- 
)n. Now that we have such fine salmon 
ades, the Cyclamen is one of the best 
nter flowering plants. 
Reader. 
The stately Castle of Delgaty, in the 
County of Aberdeen, is the seat of A. D. 
Ainslie, Esq. 
It is beautifully situated on a rising 
ground, studded w'ith many noble and 
beautiful trees. The extensive lawns 
likewise contain many very fine specimens 
of Coniferae, of much grace and excel¬ 
lence, and w'hich lend additional beauty 
and finish to the noble pile of buildings 
which are adjacent. 
The gardens and grounds are beauti¬ 
fully and tastefully laid out, and under 
the superintendence of Mr. John Brown, 
the head gardener, w'ho has a capable 
staff of assistants. The flow'er garden is 
one of much beauty, and the beds are of 
splendid design and set in many har¬ 
monious colourings. Herbaceous plants 
are a special feature, the extensive bor¬ 
ders containing the newest and best varie¬ 
ties as well as ample supplies of the older 
standard sorts. 
Roses are likewise extensively culti¬ 
vated, the Rose beds containing the newest 
- Daffodils. - 
Hybridisation. 
Everyone will soon be busy studying 
Daffodil catalogues, and lovely as the 
older and commoner Daffodils are, the 
newer hybrids are so much more beauti¬ 
ful that many amateurs will be inclined 
to sigh and give a little grumble at the 
price asked for bulbs of these varieties, 
little thinking pf the time required to 
raise seedling Daffodils. Doubtless it will 
surprise many readers to know that the 
Daffodil is one of the very few flowers 
whose seed out of a single pod, instead of 
and best sorts, and on trellis and arch the 
many varieties of Ramblers give excellent 
account of themselves. 
There is a nice collection of aquatics in 
a large pond adjacent to the castle, speci¬ 
ally noteworthy, being an excellent speci¬ 
men of Gunnera scabra (see illustration). 
Japanese Maples and other similar plants 
thrive luxuriantly here and on the avenue 
leading from the castle to the garden 
there are many beautiful specimens, as 
also a quantity of lovely flowering shrubs. 
In the cultivation of vegetables Mr. 
Brown has long been known as an expert, 
and the excellence of crops obtained be¬ 
token careful treatment. 
Fruit, both hardy and under glass, are 
well grown and produced in lavish abund¬ 
ance, the Vineries and Peach houses bear¬ 
ing well; and out-of-doors, the wall trees 
and small fruits give excellent results. 
The avenues leading from the public road 
to the castle are considerably over a mile 
in length and splendidly wooded. 
J. A. C. 
producing similar blossoms, usually de¬ 
velop flowers that differ considerably from 
one another, so that when a really good 
seedling is obtained the only way to in¬ 
crease the stock is by off-sets from the 
parent bulb, which naturally means a con¬ 
siderable wait before sufficient have been 
obtained to place the variety on the mar¬ 
ket ; added to which it must not be for¬ 
gotten that the seedlings have to be from 
five to seven years old before they flower, 
so that I do not think the high prices are 
to be wondered at, though at first sight 
it does seem preposterous to ask £60 for 
a Daffodil bulb—for that is the price of at 
least one of the new hybrids. 
To those with the requisite time, pa¬ 
tience and space for the operation, hy¬ 
bridising is very interesting and not at all 
