160 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
February  25,  1897. 
VEGETABLE  TRIALS  IN  SURREY. 
Whilst  it  is  possible  for  those  who  reside  in  the  respective  localities 
to  take  practical  interest  in  any  of  the  trials  of  garden  products  which 
may  be  conducted  in  their  neighbourhoods  in  the  county,  yet  the 
publication  yearly  of  reports  of  those  trials  in  small  pamphlet  form 
by  the  Technical  Education  Committee  enables  the  results  to  be  widely 
read,  and  thus  be  productive  of  great  good.  Very  much  interest  is  by 
such  agency  aroused  in  the  county  in  reference  to  kinds  and  varieties  of 
vegetables  not  well  known,  and  as  in  all  cases  the  name  of  the  firm  from 
whom  originally  obtained  is  given,  the  public  are  enabled  to  obtain 
samples  if  they  so  desire. 
A  few  plots  hitherto  used  in  the  county,  especially  those  remote  from 
headquarters,  have  been  given  up,  as  their  situation  rendered  ordinary 
supervision  difficult.  Those  retained  for  cropping  this  year  are  at 
Richmond,  a  light  porous  soil,  and  early  ;  Egham,  a  deep  sand  ;  Book- 
ham,  loam  on  chalk  ;  and  Surbiton,  a  new  plot,  which  is  of  very  sandy 
loam  on  ragstone,  varying  in  depth.  All  these  plots  are  locally  placed 
at  the  disposal  of  the  Technical  Education  Committee  free  of  cost. 
Owing  to  the  increase  of  continuation  school  or  boys’  gardens  in  the 
county,  for  these  run  into  several  hundreds,  it  is  found  needful  to,  so 
far  as  is  possible,  supply  them  with  good  seed  Potatoes  and  Peas  of 
superior  varieties  to  those  usually  obtainable  through  the  local  seedsmen. 
For  this  purpose  large  quantities  of  seed  Peas,  in  all  cises  fine  and 
wonderfully  clean  samples,  were  saved  from  last  year’s  trials,  and  most 
of  these  will  be  sent  out  in  small  quantities  to  the  school  gardens. 
Other  portions  of  the  best  varieties,  all  of  moderate  height,  will  be 
grown  expressly  to  produce  seed  at  Bookham,  where  also  on  an  equal 
portion  of  the  large  plot  there  will  be  grown  some  twelve  or  so  varieties 
of  the  best  early  and  second  early  Potatoes  to  give  tubers  for  the  same 
object.  At  Egham,  one  half  the  plot  will  be  devoted  to  eight  varieties 
of  Potatoes,  three  rows  of  each  being  planted,  to  once  more  test  the 
relative  productiveness  of  small,  medium,  and  large  tuber  sets,  an  equal 
number  being  planted  in  each  row.  The  other  half  of  this  sandy  plot 
will  be  utilised  for  a  trial  of  Carrots  and  Beet,  as  these  sorts  invariably 
do  well  on  the  ground. 
At  Richmond  one  half  the  plot  will  be  cropped  with  various  early 
varieties  of  Potatoes,  also  to  produce  tubers  for  the  boys’  gardens, 
and  the  other  half  will  be  sown  with  small  quantities  of  some  twenty 
varieties  of  Boston  grown  Peas,  kindly  presented  for  trial  by  Messrs. 
W.  W.  Johnson  &  Sons.  These  are  all  of  dwarf  sturdy  nature,  and  will 
be  treated  as  in  field  culture.  The  Surbiton  plot,  which  is  situated  in  a 
very  prominent  position  just  within  the  entrance  to  the  very  fine  group 
of  allotments  which  the  District  Council  has  there  provided,  will  be 
devoted  entirely  to  variety  trials. 
The  ground  has  been  prepared  for  cropping  by  a  heavy  dressing  of 
good  manure,  which  has  been  well  buried  down  in  the  process  of  trench- 
ing,  work  that  has  been  well  done.  The  ground  had  been  previously 
poorly  done,  and  only  shallow  dug.  It  is  hoped  as  one  result  of  the  good 
dressing,  and  especially  of  deep  working,  that  an  object  lesson  of  great 
value  to  the  various  allotment  holders  may  later  be  furnished.  As  the 
plot  borders  the  principal  road  through  the  allotments  a  narrow  border 
will  be  sown  with  various  flower  seeds,  amongst  which  will  be  both 
home-grown  and  German-grown  Asters  for  trial. 
The  vegetable  crops  will  comprise  twenty-eight  varieties  of  Potatoes, 
one  row  of  each,  planted  at  30  inches  apart ;  twenty  rows  of  Peas,  includ¬ 
ing  all  the  finest  of  the  varieties  that  were  grown  last  year,  and  a  few 
new  ones  ;  and  about  twelve  rows  of  Onions,  in  six  varieties,  such  as 
Ailsa  Craig,  Crimson  Globe,  Cranston’s  Excelsior,  Inwood  Favourite, 
Maincrop,  and  the  Wroxton,  all  superior  ones,  the  seed  having  been 
grown  specially  last  year  from  some  remarkably  fine  selected  bulbs. 
This  arrangement  of  the  respective  crops  will  admit  of  an  entire  change 
of  ground  next  year.  The  Surbiton  ground,  being  within  easy  reach, 
can  have  constant  attention.  Every  variety  will  be  well  and  legibly 
labelled,  also  with  name  of  firm  from  whom  originally  obtained.  The 
County  Council  does  not  in  any  way  inteifere  between  allotment 
holders  and  the  seed  trade,  but  is  desirous  of  giving  wider  information 
respecting  the  best  varieties,  and  very  largely  is  in  that  respect 
successful,— A.  Dean. 
RIVAL  QUEENS. 
It  must  not  be  inferred  from  the  above  heading  that  an  attempt  is 
to  be  made  to  place  the  Queen  of  Flowers  and  the  Queen  of  Autumn  in 
the  position  of  rivals — that  they  can  never  be.  The  one  is  the  flower 
of  summer,  while  the  other  enriches  our  greenhouses  in  autumn. 
There  can  be  no  rivalry  between  these  two — each  sways  the  world  of 
horticulture  in  its  own  season  and  in  its  own  sphere.  But  if  we  may 
have  Queens  in  the  floral  world  of  summer  and  autumn,  we  are  equally 
within  our  rights  in  instituting  Queens  of  winter  and  spring,  and  in 
so  doing  we  have  two  flowers  to  claim  honour — the  Chinese  Primula 
and  the  Cyclamen.  Which  shall  have  the  supremacy  1  Neither.  Each 
in  its  style  is  almost  perfect,  and  votes  for  the  one  would  be  about 
equal  in  number  to  those  for  the  other.  So  must  they  remain  as 
hitherto,  rival  Queens  of  surpassing  beauty  and  exceptional  utility. 
With  the  advent  of  Christmas  the  reign  of  these  flowers  commences, 
and  iB  continued  well  into  the  months  of  spring.  In  every  garden, 
be  it  large  or  small,  in  every  florist’s  shop  that  is  worthy  the  name, 
and  in  every  nursery  in  the  country  may  these  plants  be  seen. 
Not  everywhere  in  a  similar  condition,  however.  Here  one  may  see 
Cyelamens  in  perfection,  and  there  Primulas,  while  in  another  place 
neither  will  be  worthy  of  more  than  a  passing  glance,  and  even  this  may 
show  nothing  better  thau  poor,  unsubstantial  flowers,  and  weak  attenuated 
foliage.  Go  next  to  a  home  of  both — be  that  home  a  nursery  or  a  private 
garden— and  what  will  be  seen  1  Flowers  clear  in  colour,  symmetrical 
in  contour,  and  perfect  in  substance  ;  leaves  rich  in  their  various  tones 
of  green,  developed  fully  as  they  should  be,  and  of  such  texture  as 
denotes  inherent  strength  of  constitution,  natural  to  the  stock  and 
emphasised  by  the  cultivation.  Where  may  Cyclamens  and  Primulas  be 
seen  in  this  condition  ?  may  be  asked.  A  reply  to  this  can  be  given 
in  two  simple  words — Sutton’s,  Reading,  where  the  rivalry  of  the  Queens 
is  of  the  strongest,  and  where  the  most  jealous  partisan  of  either  cannot 
say  which  must  reign  supreme,  so  peerlessly  beautiful  are  both.  The 
whites,  the  pinks,  the  roses,  the  crimson  flakes,  the  bright  reds,  the 
crimsons,  the  blues,  and  the  heliotropes  of  the  Primulas ;  the  whites, 
the  roses,  the  purples,  and  the  blackish  crimsons  of  the  Cyclamens  are 
all  to  be  seen  at  the  Portland  Road  nurseries  of  the  great  Reading  seed 
firm  in  perfection. 
Many  times  before  have  tributes  been  paid  to  this  firm  for  its 
services  to  floriculture  in  improving  these  two  flowers,  but  once  more  it 
must  in  justice  be  given.  This  year,  like  its  many  predecessors,  has 
brought  strides,  not  big  ones  perhaps,  but  still  perceptible,  and  taken 
on  the  firmest  ground.  Each  season  one  may  see  this  advancement,  and 
each  season  sees  more  experiments  being  made,  some  of  which  are 
chronicled  as  successes,  while  others  sink  into  oblivion  as  failures.  No 
matter  how  many  of  the  latter  there  may  be,  the  work  is  still  persisted 
in  by  Messrs.  Sutton  &  Sons  with  the  aid  of  their  capable  nursery 
foreman  Mr.  J.  Martin,  who  is  a  true  florist  and  hybridist.  Thanks  are 
due  to  all  concerned  in  the  work,  and  they  are  herewith  heartily 
accorded. 
On  the  occasion  of  a  recent  visit  to  Reading  the  writer,  as  a  gardener, 
felt  irresistibly  drawn  towards  the  Sutton  Nurseries.  Visions  of 
loveliness  seen  there  in  past  years  floated  through  his  mind,  and  the 
conclusion  was  arrived  at  that  an  hour  or  two  there  spent  could  not  be 
other  than  profitable.  So  excellent  were  the  many  plants  seen,  that  it 
will  perhaps  interest  those  readers  who  are  so  far  unfortunate  as  to  be 
unable  to  make  a  personal  inspection  if  a  brief  reference  is  made  in  the 
pages  of  the  Journal  of  Horticulture  to  those  which  appeared  to  stand 
quite  at  the  top  of  the  tree  of  beauty,  and  a  commencement  may  be 
made  with  the 
Primulas. 
Of  these  there  are  plain-leaved.  Fern-leaved,  and  Moss-curled  in  the 
ordinary  section,  and  the  two  former  in  the  rightly  named  giant  section. 
These  giants  make  a  strain  that  is  really  superb.  The  plants  are 
floriferous  without  being  coarse  and  ungainly,  while  they  produce 
immense  flowers  from  plants  in  comparatively  small  pots.  As  a  matter 
of  fact  all  are  grown  in  48’s,  a  size  that  is  handy  for  all  purposes. 
Many  of  the  individual  flowers  have  the  extraordinary  diameter  of 
2f  inches,  the  trusses  at  tbe  same  time  being  of  considerable  size. 
Undoubtedly  culture  must  have  some  effect  on  their  uniform  excellence, 
but  that  alone  cannot  do  everything,  for  unless  the  quality  is  there  no 
amount  of  cultivation  can  bring  it  forth.  There  are  white  plain  and 
Fern-leaved,  pink  and  crimson  giants,  each  of  which  is  of  equal  merit, 
though  many  would  probably  put  the  white  in  the  van.  The  blooms 
are  symmetrical,  of  perfect  form,  and  the  leafage  is  abundant  without 
detracting  from  the  beauty  of  the  flowers. 
Turning  now  to  the  older  section  the  same  plethora  of  beauty  and 
quality  is  apparent.  Many  readers  can  remember  the  day  when  Ruby 
King  was  shown  and  honoured  at  South  Kensington,  and  they  will 
recollect  how  much  admiration  was  elicited  by  the  variety  by  reason  of 
the  beauty  of  it,  and  the  distinct  advance  it  showed  upon  existing  forms. 
Writing  of  the  Reading  Primulas  in  the  Journal  of  Horticulture  for 
January  9th,  1879,  that  prince  amongst  florists,  "  D.,  Deal,"  says 
regarding  Ruby  King,  “  i  do  not  hesitate  to  say,  taking  all  its  points, 
is  the  most  beautiful  Primula  that  has  yet  been  raised.”  Compare  Ruby 
King  of  then  with  Brilliant  Ruby  of  to-day,  and  the  march  onwards 
may  be  measured  at  a  glance.  Good  as  was  the  first  named  variety, 
Brilliant  Ruby  is  infinitely  superior.  With  sucb  a  name  there  is  no  need 
for  description,  and  this  is  a  condition  common  to  all  the  Sutton  varie¬ 
ties,  for  the  firm  has  striven  to  give  names  which  by  their  simplicity 
convey  an  exact  idea  of  tbe  merits  and  the  colour  of  the  variety.  That 
now  well  known  white  variety,  Sutton’s  Pearl,  still  occupies  a  foremost 
position  by  reason  of  its  many  merits.  It  is,  in  short,  a  Pearl  of  great 
beauty.  Of  Royal  White  one  could  not  speak  too  highly,  for  of  the 
ordinary  Primulas  it  is  the  leader,  and  is  usually  recognised  as  such  by 
those  who  are  fully  qualified  to  judge. 
There  are  besides  these  the  Reading  varieties  as  represented  by 
Reading  Scarlet,  Blue  and  Pink,  which  are  of  splendid  quality,  such  as 
would  have  taken  the  whole  of  the  floricultural  world  by  storm  ten  or 
fifteen  years  ago.  Gypsy  Queen  and  Snowdrift  remain  as  prime 
favourites  yet,  and  are  likely  to  do  so  for  many  years  to  come  if  the 
present  standard  of  excellence  is  maintained  by  their  raisers,  as  one 
would  naturally  expect  it  to  be.  The  Fern-leaved  Rosy  Queen,  with  its 
handsome  foliage  and  delicately  coloured  flowers,  is  peculiarly  lovely, 
as  is  the  chaste  variety  named  Purity.  Not  many  years  ago  the  Blue 
Primula  was  usually  held  up  to  derision  by  reason  of  the  washy  colour  of 
its  flowers,  but  now  criticism  is  much  milder,  for  the  blue  is  undoubtedly 
there,  and  everyone  not  colour  blind  must  readily  be  able  to  see  it. 
Let  us  now  look  for  a  moment  at  a  Primula  that  is  entirely  distinct 
from  all  those  that  have  been  mentioned  in  the  foregoing  paragraph, 
and  which  is  none  the  less  of  the  first  merit.  It  is  the  Star  Primula, 
la  this  we  find  a  branching  habit,  an  elegant  style  of  producing  its 
