February  15.  1900. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER, 
137 
SEED  SALE— NON-GUARANTEE  CLAUSE. 
Speaking  from  memory,  and  not  ex  cathedra,  I  believe  that  the 
“  non-warranty  ”  clause  only  gives  protection  in  cases  of  difference  of 
quality  or  variety  in  one  kind  of  seed,  and  that  the  dealer  who  sold 
“Turnip  for  Cauliflower”  would  get  no  more  protection  than  he 
deserved  from  it.  The  clause  referred  to  is  an  absolute  necessity  in 
the  seed  trade,  and  it  would  be  almost  impossible  to  do  business  with¬ 
out  it.  The  imputation  that  it  is  used  as  a  shelter  for  dishonest 
dealing  is  absolutely  unfounded,  as  there  is  no  more  honest  body 
existing  than  the  seed  trade  as  a  whole,  added  to  which  a  good  reputa¬ 
tion  is  the  breath  of  life  to  its  members,  and  the  least  suspicion  of 
unfair  dealing  would  ruin  any  seed-dealer  in  a  few  seasons.  Without 
some  protection  every  half-crown  packet  of  seed  sold  would  entail  a 
risk  of  legal  action  and  the  loss  of  hundreds  of  pounds.  Setting  aside 
the  remote  chance  of  malicious  false  evidence,  the  risk  of  the  accidental 
mixture  or  transposition  of  seeds  by  the  purchaser  or  his  assistants 
would  be  always  present,  the  results  of  which  are  naturally,  as  a  rule, 
put  to  the  unfortunate  seedsman’s  account. 
But  there  is  a  much  more  important  matter  to  be  considered,  which 
is  the  immense  variation  that  results  from  good  or  bad  cultivation,  or 
the  prevalence  of  exceptional  heat  or  moisture  during  the  whole  or  a 
part  of  the  growing  season.  To  give  just  one  instance,  which  the  case 
cited  by  “  A..  D.”  recalled  to  me.  A  large  farmer  near  here  asked  my 
father  to  call  and  look  at  a  field  of  Turnips  grown  from  his  seed.  On 
arrival  at  the  field  he  was  shown  a  crop  so  long-necked  and  generally 
malformed  that  he  promptly  disowned  them,  and  declared  that  such 
could  not  be  the  produce  of  a  good  stock  of  seed.  “  Well,  I  should 
have  thought  so  too,”  said  the  farmer,  “and  should  never  have  bought 
any  more  seed  from  you,  only  I  happened  to  have  a  few  pounds  of 
seeds  left  over  from  last  year,  from  wLch  I  grew  one  of  the  grandest 
crops  ever  seen.  The  two  are  side  by  side,  and  now  no  one  can 
see  any  difference,  both  being  equally  bad.”  How  far  variation  may 
go  in  this  way  would  puzzle  the  best  horticultural  expert  to  define,  and 
a  question  of  this  kind  might  as  well  be  submitted  to  the  test  of  tossing 
a  coin  as  that  of  the  average  judge  and  jury. 
If  “  A.  D.”  would  only  look  at  the  other  side  of  the  question  he 
would  easily  see  that  a  seedsman’s  life  would  “  be  not  a  happy  one  ” 
if  every  packet  of  seed  he  sold  the  results  of  which  did  not  equal  his 
customer’s  expectations  rendered  him  liable  to  damages  and  costs, 
whether  the  failure  were  owing  to  adverse  seasons,  the  lack  of  know¬ 
ledge,  skill,  or  industry  on  the  part  of  the  purchaser,  or  any  other 
cause. — Chas,  E.  Pearson,  Chilwell,  Notts. 
APPLE  HORMEAD  PEARMAIN. 
Attention  is  drawn  to  a  highly  serviceable  but  not  generally 
grown  garden  Apple  on  page  124.  It  may,  possibly,  be  also  good  for 
the  orchard,  but  I  have  only  grown  and  seen  fruits  equal  to  the  one 
represented  produced  by  cultivated  garden  trees.  It  is  a  remarkably 
fine  fruit,  but,  then,  Mr.  Bunyard  is  a  fine  cultivator.  It  is  above  the 
ordinary  size,  and  it  is  probably  because  the  fruits  are  generally  smaller 
that  the  variety  is  not  commonly  seen  at  exhibitions.  If  it  were,  trees  of 
Hormead  Pearmain  would  be  more  generally  planted.  The  variety  is 
a  healthy  and  what  may  be  described  as  a  fruitful  grower,  spurring 
freely  and  naturally,  and  the  fruits  are  when  reasonably  well  grown 
quite  large  enough  for  use.  The  tree  makes  an  excellent  cordon  and 
a  model  espalier. 
The  name  Hormead’s  on  the  page  quoted  must  be  the  result  of  a 
‘clerical  error.  When  once  visiting  the  late  Dr.  Hogg  in  Sussex,  he 
stated  that  the  name  was  wrongly  given  in  most  catalogues,  as  the 
Apple  was  not  named  after  its  raiser,  but  after  the  place  with  which  it 
was  associated,  and  hence  the  name  Hormead  Pearmain.  I  think  the 
Doctor  said  it  was  a  Sussex  Apple.  Perhaps  Mr.  Cheal  may  be 
acquainted  with  its  origin.  I  have  seen  it  bearing  well  in  the  Lowfield 
Nurseries,  and  I  think  it  is  a  favourite  Apple  there. — Pomologist. 
PINCHING  FRUIT  TREES. 
Me.  George  Picker  some  time  ago  asked  if  any  practical  readers 
of  the  Journal  of  Horticulture  could  prove  that  by  pinching  or  stopping 
the  shoots  of  fruit  trees  large  healthy  fruit  buds  could  be  produced 
earlier  than  by  trees  that  are  not  pinched.  I,  for  one,  say  pinching  will 
not  produce  buds  earlier  in  such  a  case.  If  two  Pear  or  Apple  trees 
of  the  same  variety  were  planted  at  the  same  time,  one  to  be  pinched, 
the  other  not,  I  venture  to  say  it  would  be  found  that  pinching  to 
promote  early  fruiting  is  time  thrown  away.  When  pinching  was  first 
introduced  did  the  teachers  say  pinch  the  trees  into  form,  or  did  they 
say  pinch  to  form  fruit  buds.  Probably  they  said  first  form  the  tree 
so  that  it  can  be  pinched  afterwards  if  required. 
Seeing  that  “  our  Journal”  grows  with  the  times,  why  not  let  fruit 
trees  do  the  same  for  yielding  full  crops  of  high  quality  fruit  ?  But 
will  such  be  had  in  the  best  manner  by  discarding  pinching  after  the 
trees  are  formed  ?  I  say  it  would  not,  but  that  bud  formation  is  facili¬ 
tated  by  pinching  if  this  is  done  at  the  proper  time.  No  exact  time  can 
be  stated.  The  cultivator  must  determine  that  from  the  condition  of  the 
tree.  If  done  at  the  right  time  the  natural  course  of  sap  will  be  diverted 
and  take  a  circular  course,  which  assists  blossom  buds  to  form  that 
would  not  do  so  if  pinching  had  not  taken  place. — H.  Mitchell. 
BLOSSOM  BUD  FORMATION. 
Referring  to  “A  Lincolnshire  Gardener’s  ”  article  on  page  87 
of  the  Journal,  I  may  say  that  no  one  of  experience  doubts  that  trans¬ 
planting  or  judicious  root-pruning  throws  fruit  trees  into  bearing  ;  but 
will  your  correspondent  kindly  say  at  what  months  of  the  year  shoot 
pinching  should  be  done,  and  the  manner  of  doing  it,  to  produce  similar 
effects  ?  There  is  much  difference  of  opinion  on  this  latter  question, 
and  the  readers  of  our  Journal  would  be  interested  in  his  observations 
on  that  phase  of  the  matter.— S.  S. 
SWEET  PEAS. 
Between  the  suggested  conference  and  the  bi-centenary  of  the 
Sweet  Pea  these  always  welcome  flowers  are  brought  more  than  usually 
prominent  at  the  present  time.  As  regards  a  conference,  the  purpose 
of  which  is  to  classify  them  into  some  tangible  shape.  With  respect  to 
their  colour  sections,  there  would  seem  to  be  divergent  opinions;  some 
favour  the  idea,  others  do  not  see  the  necessity  for  such  a  course. 
This,  however,  is  a  matter  that  concerns  the  specialist  more  than 
the  ordinary  gardener.  The  large  and  increasing  number  of  sorts 
makes  a  selection  for  general  purposes  an  easy  matter  to  make  the  all- 
sufficient  number  of  packets,  each  of  fifty  or  100  seeds,  as  the  case 
requires.  Moreover,  the  inevitable  “  mixed  ”  assortments  offered  meet 
many  cases,  and  to  such  persons  the  suggestion  of  a  conference  is  vague 
and  uninteresting.  Seedsmen,  even  those  who  issue  unpretentious  cata¬ 
logues,  give  due  prominence  to  Sweet  Peas,  enumerating  a  list  of  names 
as  well  as  the  “  mixed  ”  packets  for  their  patrons  to  choose  between. 
The  large  flowering  varieties,  associated  so  closely  with  the  name  of 
Eckford,  are  those  most  growers  will  naturally  select,  and  the  time  is 
no  doubt  not  far  distant  when  the  ordinary  strains  will  be  entirely 
superseded,  and  find  no  place  either  in  the  seed  store  or  catalogues. 
The  present  month  is  one  in  which  many  make  an  attempt  to  sow  a 
few  for  early  gathering  outdoors,  but  the  presence  of  snow  at  the  time 
of  writing  affords  no  prospect  of  this  being  done  at  present.  All  who 
have  a  frame  in  which  a  few  pots  may  be  sheltered  can  gain  some  time 
by  sowing  say  half  a  dozen  seeds  in  a  60-pot  at  once,  and  standing  them 
therein.  If  a  warmer  position  can  be  afforded  them  until  they  have 
made  half  an  inch  of  growth  flowers  would  be  ready  some  days  sooner, 
hardening  them  prior  to  planting  finally  in  a  cold  frame  for  some  time. 
The  trouble  of  raising  a  few  Sweet  Peas  thus  is  very  little,  and  the 
gain  more  than  compensates  for  it.  Perhaps  it  is  better  to  anticipate 
bad  weather,  and  adopt  the  indoor  sowing  at  an  early  period,  say  in 
January.  There  is  then  no  disappointment  from  unfavourable  weather, 
and  once  growth  is  set  into  action  they  can  be  kept  steaddy  growing 
until  the  ground  is  in  a  suitable  state  and  the  weather  propitious. 
Soil  for  filling  the  pots  is  not  a  very  important  matter,  nor  is  a 
quantity  required  in  ordinary  cases.  The  better,  however,  it  is  in 
quality,  the  stronger  they  would  be  in  root  growth ;  but  any 
garden  soil,  enriched  with  decayed  manure  or  leaf  mould,  will  give 
good  results.  Crowding  several  seeds  into  a  small  space  is  a  fatal 
mistake  to  make  with  Sweet  Peas,  as  it  is  with  every  other  plant 
produced  by  seed,  whether  in  pots  or  the  open  ground.  The  value  of 
thin  sowing  can  be  demonstrated  by  anyone  who  wishes  to  take  the 
trouble  to  carry  it  out,  and  this  both  in  its  application  to  pots  and  the 
open  border.  The  cost  of  the  seed  is  of  itself  a  justifying  reason  for 
adopting  rational  sowing,  and  the  greater  vigour,  both  of  plant  and 
flower,  bring  further  reward.  Like  the  edible  Peas,  these  like  rich 
soil,  and  the  site  changed  as  often  as  possible.  No  plant  tires  of  the 
soil  so  soon  as  Peas,  and  for  this  reason  gardeners  adopt  a  successional 
course,  sowing  not  oftener  than  every  third  year  on  the  same  ground. 
Where  the  means  do  not  allow  of  this,  the  alternative  is  to  trench  the 
soil  deeply,  and  thus  bring  to  the  surface  some  that  has  been  for  some 
time  undisturbed,  and  incorporating  at  the  same  time  short  manure, 
preferably  in  a  decayed  state.  By  adopting  a  course  of  sowing 
a  few  pots  of  Sweet  Peas  in  January  or  February  there  is  no  neces¬ 
sity  for  risking  outdoor  sowings  until  the  ground  is  in  a  thoroughly 
pulverised  state  in  March, 
The  custom  by  some  specialists  of  offering  collections  of  Sweet 
Peas  varying  in  number,  variety,  and  price  is  an  excellent  one,  and  is 
one  that  might  well  be  more  generally  adopted.  Those  who  have 
submitted  them  in  this  way  find  the  patronage  justify  the  action,  and 
a  selection  of  colours  made  by  those  who  grow  them  largely  is  often 
more  satisfactory  to  the  buyer  than  that  made  individually. — W.  S. 
Canadian  t.  American  Apples. — It  is  reported  that  the  shipments 
during  January  of  Canadian  Apples,  which  are  entering  into  serious 
competition  with  American  fruit  in  the  London  market,  were  parti¬ 
cularly  heavy,  in  one  day  7524  barrels,  containing  22,572  bushels,  having 
been  unloaded.  A  fine  variety  of  Newtown  Pippins,  hitherto  exclusively 
obtained  from  American  orchards,  was  among  the  importation.  The 
culture  of  this  variety  in  Canada  promises  more  extensive  shipments  in 
the  near  future. 
