March  29,  1900. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER, 
2G7 
Coincident  with  the  floricultural  attributes  of  the  late  Mr.  E.  J. 
Lowe  of  Highfield,  Nottingham,  I  am  reminded  of  an  article  by 
Mr,  J.  R.  Pearson,  Chilwell,  upon  this  subject,  published  in  the 
Journal  of  Horticulture,  November  12th,  1874,  to  the  effect  that 
Mr.  Lowe  had  succeeded  in  crossing  Madame  Vaucher  zonal  Pelar¬ 
gonium  and  Geranium  sanguineum.  Many  of  the  seedlings  produced 
red,  rose,  and  white  flowers,  some  with  curious  foliage.  Mr.  Lowe  sent 
him  two  plants  in  flower,  much  alike  in  every  respect,  and  they  strongly 
evidenced  their  parentage.  The  colour  of  the  flowers  was  lilac  pink 
(some  see  blue  in  them),  and  the  shape  of  the  flowers  was  the  exact 
opposite  of  what  a  florist  would  consider  perfection,  the  petals  being 
long  and  narrow.  Mr.  Lowe  thought  it  a  mule,  but  Mr.  Pearson  opined 
that  he  would  be  able  to  seed  it.  Mr.  Pearson  intimated  that  at  the 
first  opportunity  he  would  take  one  of  the  plants  to  the  Pelargonium 
Society’s  first  show,  so  that  the  opinions  of  the  savants  might  be 
gleaned.  I  do  not,  however,  recollect  having  learnt  more  about  the 
plants  since  then,  and  it  would  be  interesting  if  Mr,  Chas.  Pearson  or 
other  authority  could  furnish  further  information  anent  those  botanical 
curiosities. — W.  G. 
- ♦♦♦♦> - - 
Sizes  of  Leeks. 
If,  as  I  gather  from  the  paragraph  on  page  197  in  relation  to  this 
subject,  it  is  held  that  we  here  in  the  south  do  not  grow  Leeks  equal  to 
those  produced  in  Scotland,  I  cannot  but  recall  the  fact  that  when 
Messrs.  Bobbie  &  Sons  held  their  great  vegetable  competition  at  the 
Royal  Aquarium  a  few  years  since,  the  show  of  Leeks  being  the  most 
extensive  and  remarkable  ever  seen  in  the  south,  and  included  many 
samples  from  Scotland,  that  the  first  prize  for  the  finest  half  dozen  was 
awarded  to  samples  from  Hackwood  Park,  Hants.  If,  as  I  gather,  the 
largest  of  Scotch-grown  Leeks  measured  8  inches  in  circumference, 
then  they  must  have  been  coarse  and  huge  indeed.  A  really  fine  stem 
is  only  4  inches  in  circumference,  and  many  that  take  prizes  are  less  in 
circumference  than  that,  but  have  from  12  to  14  inches  of  stem  clean 
blanched. 
It  is,  however,  assumed  that  Leeks  are  grown  for  consumption  as 
well  as  for  show,  and  I  am  certain  that  stems  only  3  inches  round 
would,  when  cooked,  be  found  far  more  pleasant  eating  than  those 
6  or  8  inches  round.  In  the  Onion  we  find  that  size  seems,  when  the 
bulbs  are  well  grown,  to  induce  nothing  coarse  in  the  flesh ;  but  with 
the  Leek,  the  larger  and  thicker  the  many  layers  of  flesh  formed  in  the 
stem  the  harder  and  coarser  they  are.  It  is  very  easy  to  understand 
that  there  are  districts  where  size  seems  to  be  the  chief  consideration. 
We  have  quite  enough  of  that  form  of  estimation  in  the  south  not  to  be 
able  to  throw  stones  at  the  north.  Universally  it  is  desirable  that  table 
excellence  should  have  full  consideration  in  all  vegetable  judging. — A.  D. 
Sparrows  and  Crocuses. 
Your  correspondent  “  A.  D.  ”  is  evidently  a  sweetly  reasonable  sort 
of  man,  also  modest,  though,  perhaps,  not  overwhelmingly  so.  He 
seems  to  like  thinking  and  setting  down  his  thoughts,  and  I  am  one  of 
the  last  of  those  who  would  wish  him  to  do  otherwise.  There  is  a 
certain  freshness  about  his  jottings,  and  no  one  can  say  he  has  a  dull 
pen.  But  to  the  Crocuses.  “  A.  D.  ”  (page  249)  prefers  to  think  “  that 
sparrows  mutilate  the  flowers  of  yellow  Crocuses  because  they  find 
something  sweet  in  them,  and  that  their  act  is  not  ‘  wanton.’  ”  He  is 
quite  entitled  to  think  so  ;  but  why  should  he  object  to  ethers  thinking 
differently  if  they  are  so  impelled  ?  He  says  whoever  may  give  a  reason 
for  the  practice  “  must  give  a  practical  one,”  mere  assumption  (of  the 
nature  of  his  own)  “  will  not  do.”  This  is  a  little  curious,  but  there  it  is. 
I  have  a  mixture  of  variously  coloured  Crocuses.  The  rascally 
sparrows  touch  none  but  the  yellows,  and  these  they  appear  to  delight 
in  mutilating.  As  birds  and  flowers  are  convenient  for  examination, 
and  as  I  must  not  say  the  sparrows  are  “  wanton  ”  and  their  motive 
destructive,  I  “  prefer  to  think  ”  they  act  in  a  spirit  of  sport  or  spite, 
for  so  far  as  I  can  see  they  eat  not  a  particle  of  the  flowers  they  spoil. 
It  may  be  there  is  something  in  them  of  which  a  small  amount  goes  a 
long  way,  hence  “  little  nips  ”  suffice.  This  is  suggestive  of  a  bad  habit, 
and  I  certainly  regard  the  habits  of  the  birds  as  very  bad,  for  they  ruin 
my  yellow  Crocuses  without  benefiting  themselves.  1  have  sometimes 
wondered  if  they  caught  a  passing  reflection  of  their  perky  little  selves 
in  the  glistening  flowers,  and  thinking  it  a  stranger,  gave  it  one  of  their 
nasty  little  pecks.  This  is  the  only  approach  to  a  “  reason  ”  that  I  can 
give.  True,  it  is  not  very  “  practical,”  being  only  on  a  par  in  that 
respect  w’ith  the  theory  of  “A.  D.” — B.  K.,  Croydon. 
Primula  kewensis. 
Two  years  ago  this  new  Primula,  which  was  awarded  a  first-class 
certificate  by  the  Floral  Committee  of  the  R.H.S.  on  February  27th, 
originated  among  a  number  of  seedlings  of  P.  floribunda  at  Kew.  It  is 
of  hybrid  origin,  P.  verticillata  and  P.  floribunda  being  the  parents. 
These  two  species  are  generally  associated  with  each  other  in  the  green¬ 
house,  and  by  this  means  became  crossed.  When  in  a  young  state  the 
hybrid  was  seen  to  be  much  more  vigorous  than  the  young  plants  of 
floribunda,  and  eventually  took  a  considerable  degree  of  the  habit  of 
the  other  parent,  the  leaves,  however,  being  free,  or  almost  so,  of  the 
white  colouring  of  verticillata.  The  plant  exhibited  was  a  foot  through, 
and  rather  more  than  that  in  height,  and  was  a  perfect  mass  of  flower 
stems,  on  which  the  whorls  of  bright  yellow  blossoms  are  abundantly 
produced.  The  habit  is  all  that  is  good,  the  flower  stems  being  strong 
enough  to  support  the  mass  of  bloom  without  being  at  all  stiff.  It  has 
yet  to  be  seen  whether  it  can  be  leproduced  from  seed  ;  if  this  can  be 
done  it  will  make  a  thoroughly  good  greenhouse  plant,  as  the  same 
plant  can  be  had  in  flower  for  several  months.  Despite  “  Scrutator’s  ” 
assertion  on  page  199,  I  think  this  is  undoubtedly  a  true  hybrid, 
though  it  was  not  secured  artificially. — R.  G.  K. 
Judges  and  Judging. 
By  way  of  showing  that  there  is  room  for  differences  of  opinion 
to  exist,  and  to  illustrate  how  conscientious  our  best  judges  are,  and 
how  much  trouble  they  take  to  arrive  at  the  best  decisions,  I  will,  if 
you  will  permit  me,  recall  an  incident  which  occurred  at  one  of  our 
great  provincial  shows  a  few  years  ago — an  incident  honourable  to  all 
who  took  part  in  it.  A  valuable  prize  was  offered  for  a  large  group  of 
Sweet  Peas.  The  two  judges  who  were  appointed  to  judge  the  class 
were  a  well-known  florist  and  a  representative  of  the  horticultural  Press 
— two  men  whose  ability  for  the  work  could  not  be  called  in  question. 
Well,  they  differed  in  opinion,  and  called  in  other  two  judges,  one  being 
one  of  the  first  gardeners  in  the  kingdom,  and  the  other  a  well-known 
commercial  horticulturist,  recently  deceased.  These  two  gentlemen  again 
divided,  bo  that  there  were  two  for  one  stand  and  two  for  another.  To 
bring  matters  to  a  climax  a  fifth  judge  was  called,  and  he  happened  to 
be  perhaps  the  foremost  authority  on  florists’  flowers  in  Britain.  His 
vote,  of  course,  settled  the  matter.  It  is  perhaps  worth  while  pointing 
out  that  the  society  at  whose  show  this  incident  happened  adopt  the 
course  advocated  by  “  An  Old  Provincial,”  as  the  same  judges  are 
appointed  to  do  the  same  work  year  after  year. — Observer. 
- - 
Bud-dropping  in  Peacljes. 
The  interesting  note  by  “  W.  S.,”  on  page  172,  respecting  this 
troublesome  habit  of  Peach  and  Nectarine  trees  will  repay  perusal  by 
anyone  who  grows  these  delicious  fruits.  Evidently  “  W.  S.”  has  had 
far  too  much  experience  to  start  a  direct  theory  as  to  the  cause  of 
bud -dropping,  and  he  is  careful  to  show  that  one  at  least  of  the 
accepted  causes  has  not  in  his  case  been  followed  with  such  disastrous 
results  as  he  expected.  But  he  wisely  refrains  from  concluding  that 
dry  roots  and  red  spider  do  not  form  a  combination  likely  to  result  in 
bud-dropping. 
Circumstances  so  alter  cases  that  the  more  experience  one  gets  in 
this,  as  in  other  branches  of  gardening,  the  less  one  is  likely  to  commit 
themselves.  But  after  all  the  thing  has  to  be  looked  at  squarely,  and 
those  who  have  to  provide  fruit  for  dessert  must  strain  a  point  to  do  so, 
let  bud-dropping  be  never  so  mysterious,  and  mysterious  it  certainly  is. 
In  my  own  case  I  have  to  provide  fruit  at  a  season  that  necessitates 
forcing  that  very  early  variety  Waterloo,  but  the  demand  is  not  great, 
and  one  tree  of  it  suffices.  This,  of  course,  has  to  be  grown  in  a  house 
with  later  varieties. 
In  the  summer  of  1898  I  was  convinced  that  this  individual  tree  had 
its  wood  over-ripened,  and  I  found  to  my  cost  that  it  was  so,  for  though 
carefully  looked  after  as  regards  watering  at  the  roots,  bud-dropping 
was  so  badly  in  evidence  the  following  winter  that  a  partial  crop  was 
all  I  got  from  it.  Last  summer  the  tree  was  shaded  as  soon  after  the 
crop  was  gathered  as  seemed  desirable,  and  this  season  it  is  carrying  a 
crop  that  will  have  to  be  thinned  to  at  least  a  third  of  the  number  now 
swelling. 
Other  trees  in  the  house  are  Early  Grosse  Mignonne  and  Alexandra 
Noblesse.  The  latter  was  carrying  its  fruit  last  season,  and  wanting  a 
dish  in  July  I  had  perforce  to  shade  it  to  keep  it  back.  This  has  suf¬ 
fered  from  bud-dropping  a  littje  this  year,  so  it  would  appear  that 
shading  in  one  season  and  in  trees  next  to  each  other  led  to  entirely 
different  results.  Here  of  course  the  man  with  a  theory — if  he  was 
sufficiently  acquainted  with  varieties  —  would  say  that  Waterloo 
naturally  made  up  its  growth  earlier  than  Alexandra  Noblesse,  and 
therefore  required  shading,  while  the  latter  would  need  all  the  light 
available. 
This  is  just  what  I  thought  at  first,  but  the  other  tree.  Early  Grosse 
Mignonne,  is  in  the  lightest  part  of  the  house,  was  totally  unshaded  all 
through  the  season,  and  is  now  the  most  satisfactory  of  the  three,  and  as 
all  acquainted  with  it  are  aware,  it  is  a  variety  that  brings  its  growth 
