July  18,  1896 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
55 
that  I  prefer  for  market  purposes  are  La  Groese  Sucr6e  and  Noble.  The 
former  I  like  the  better  of  the  two,  as  Noble  is  of  indifferent  flavour, 
although  a  very  showy  fruit.  Vicomtesse  Hericart  de  Thury  is  another 
good  variety,  small,  but  of  exquisite  flavour.  Sir  Joseph  Paxton  is 
grown  extensively  for  market  purposes  in  the  south  of  England,  but  this 
variety  is  not  a  success  with  me,  either  planted  out  or  in  pots. 
In  the  above  notes  I  have,  to  the  best  of  my  ability,  stated  facts  as 
to  the  profitable  employment  of  glass  structures  in  the  winter.  The 
figures  quoted  are  actual  prices  obtained  from  salesmen  in  the  open 
market,  from  which  carriage,  market  tolls,  and  salesman’s  commission 
have  to  be  deducted. 
CARNATIONS  AT  CHELSEA. 
Among  the  Carnations  !  It  was  to  accomplish  this  object  that  steps 
were  recently  directed  to  the  famous  nursery  of  Messrs.  James  Veitch 
and  Son,  there  to  be  rewarded  by  feasting  the  eyes  on  a  display  which  • 
for  variety  and  good  culture  it  would  be  extremely  difficult  to  excel. 
Never  was'thiS  charming  flower  so  popular  as  at  the  present  time,  and 
everyone  knows  how  new  varieties  such  as  Uriah  Pike  and  others  have 
taken  the  whole  horticultural  world  by  storm.  There  is  little  need  to 
wonder  at  this,  for  in  spite  of  the  fact  that  in  some  localities  the  Car¬ 
nation  does  not  thrive  satisfactorily,  yet  it  is  necessarily  everyone’s 
flower,  and  may  often  be  found  blooming  in  luxuriant  beauty  in  many 
cottage  gardens 
i.vA.nd  again  as  a '  pot  plant  its  qualifications  are  sufficient  to  recom¬ 
mend  it  to  every  florist,  and  though  to  grow  it  successfully  a  consider¬ 
able  amount  of  care  is  requisite,  yet  all  this  is  amply  repaid  by  a  pro¬ 
fusion  of  sweet  flowers.  These  lines,  however,  are  not  written  with  the 
intention  of  giving  hints  or  suggestions  on  Carnation  culture,  but  simply 
to  give  an  idea  of  what  we  saw  and  what  others  might  see  by  paying  a 
visit  to  the  well-known  Chelsea  nursery. 
“  Yes,  they  are  fine,”  remarked  Mr.  Weeks,  the  grower,  in  reply  to 
our  acclamations  of  praise  ;  “  but  they  would  have  been  grand  if  the 
sun  had  not  been  so  scorching  hot,”  We  could  quite  understand  that, 
though  well  satisfied  with  the  display  as  it  was.  Right  in  the  centre  of 
the  nursery,  in  small  beds  surrounded  by  glass  structures,  are  the  Cir- 
nations  grown,  and  from  the  good  health  of  the  plants  and  the  abun¬ 
dance  of  flowers  it  is  only  natural  to  conclude  that  the  position  is  a 
suitable  one. 
Much  may  be  written  about  the  display,  but  we  must  confine  our 
attention  to  but  a  chosen  few.  “  Many  of  the  flowers  are  much  smaller 
this  year,”  remarked  our  guide,  and,  as  our  readers  will  gather,  the 
drought  is  responsible. 
First  to  come  under  our  notice  were  the  “seifs  ” — the  most  useful  of 
all  border  Carnations,  and  in  these  the  variety  of  bloom  and  diversity  of 
colours  were  almost  bewildering.  On  one  bed  was  Duchess  of  Fife,  of 
a  delicate  soft  rose  shade  very  similar  to  the  well-known  Miss  Jolliffe. 
Further  on  was  noticed  the  sturdy  habit  of  Lady  Mina  Balfour,  whose 
stiff  stems  were  surmounted  with  large  flowers  of  this  charming  variety. 
Florence  grows  profusely  at  Chelsea  ;  it  has  a  pleasing  branching  habit 
and  cream  coloured  flowers,  A  contrast  to  the  above  is  Ellen  Newman, 
which  produces  large  scarlet  flowers  of  good  substance.  King  of  the 
Crimsons  is  a  fine  dark  variety,  blooms  profusely,  and  grows  very  freely. 
Particular  attention  was  drawn  to  a  large  bed  of  Alice  Ayres,  which  is 
undoubtedly  one  of  the  best  for  massing,  being  a  good  grower  and 
carrying  a  multitude  of  white  striped  blooms.  Amongst  the  pure  whites 
Mrs.  Fred  is  considered  to  be  one  of  the  best  as  a  bedder,  though  a 
number  of  Mrs.  F.  Watts  was  also  noted  as  being  exceptionally  fine, 
and  though  somewhat  older  than  the  former  it  has  an  excellent  compact 
flower,  and  bears  a  good  reputation  for  keeping  well  during  the  winter. 
We  could  not  help  pausing  to  admire  a  bed  of  the  bright  scarlet 
Joe  Willet,  with  its  large  flowers  and  sturdy  habit,  still  holding  its  own 
as  one  of  the  best  of  its  particular  colour.  Amongst  other  yellows  were 
noticed  Miss  Audrey  Campbell,  a  beautiful  flower,  and  Due  d’Orleans, 
a  little  deeper  in  shade  than  the  former.  In  addition  to  these  Germania 
still  upholds  its  reputation  as  one  of  the  best  of  the  yellow  bedders. 
Miss  Ellen  Terry  produces  large  white  flowers,  but  is  considered  better 
for  pot  than  outdoor  culture. 
Worthy  of  special  mention  is  Mephisto,  thought  by  some  to  be  the 
best  of  the  crimsons,  having  a  compact  bloom  of  a  bright  and  pleasing 
colour.  King  Arthur  carries  an  immense  scarlet  flower,<many  of  them 
being  5  inches  across,  and  is  also  a  free  grower.  Though  not  the  largest, 
no  more  perfect  bloom  could  be  found  than  that  of  Hayes’  Scarlet,  the 
form  and  colour  of  which  is  exquisite.  King  of  the  Scarlets  is  also 
bright  in  colour  and  produces  large  blooms.  Cantab,  or  the  Scarlet 
Clove,  as  it  is  sometimes  called,  is  noted  particularly  for  its  delicious 
scent,  Cara  Roma  is  of  a  pleasing  purple  shade,  and  bears  a  well  formed 
flower,  which  does  not  split  in  the  calyx. 
Our  attention  was  reluctantly  turned  from  the  seifs  to  the  Picotees, 
and  amongst  them  were  noted  as  being  particularly  attractive,  J.  B. 
Bryant,  a  white  with  crimson  edge  ;  Brunette  of  the  same  colour,  with 
edge  much  more  heavy  ;  and  Gannymede,  with  an  edge  of  deep  crimson. 
Favourite  is  considered  one  of  the  best  of  the  Picotees,  being  a  free  bloomer, 
with  flowers  edged  with  light  rose.  Edith  D’Ombrain  is  somewhat 
similar,  witn  edge  of  a  rose  shade,  but  much  more  heavy.  Mrs.  Sharpe 
is  also  a  showy  bloom  of  the  same  character. 
Amongst  the  scarlet  flakes  Mr.  Thomas’  Scarlet  Keel  and  John  Ball 
were  noticed  as  being  the  most  effective.  Thalia  produces  large  flowers, 
and  is  reckoned  amongst  the  best  of  the  rose  flakes  ;  while  Florence 
Nightingale  and  James  Douglas  are  both  fine  purples. 
Many  bizarres  were  noticed  in  the  collection,  especially  worthy  of 
mention  being  True  Briton,  a  bright  scarlet,  and  Due  d’Aumale.  To 
visit  this  show  of  Carnations  means  to  tarry  and  admire,  and  much 
time  might  have  been  spent  either  in  criticising  or  comparing,  but  in 
all  cases  there  were  points  deserving  of  merit.  In  one  instance  it  was 
the  colour,  in  another  the  perfection  of  flower,  and  in  another  still  the 
scent,  and  so  on.  Messrs.  J.  Veitch  &  Sons  are  to  be  much  commended 
for  their  snperb  display,  and  it  was  with  reluctant  steps  we  turned 
away,  thoroughly  satisfied  that  we  had  been  well  repaid  for  our 
trouble. — H. 
Rose  Show  Fixttjees  fob  1895. 
■July"  20th  (Saturday). — Manchester. 
,  „  23rd  (Tuesday). — Tibshelf. 
„  21:th  (Wednesday). — Chesterfield  and  Newcastle-on-Tytie.* 
„  25th  Clhursday) . — Trentham. 
Aug.  3rd  (Saturday)  and  5th. — Liverpool.! 
*  A  show  lasting  three  days.  f  A  show  lasting  two  days. 
-Edward  Mawley,  Roneianli,  Berkhamded,  Herts. 
Crystal  Palace  Show. 
Ox  page  38  you  refer  to  the  confusion  existing  in  some  of  the 
classes  in  the  above  show,  and  that  same  confusion  is  perhaps  re¬ 
sponsible  for  an  error  in  your  report  which  affects  me.  Referring  to 
class  16,  nine  distinct,  you  say  Mr.  Whittle  was  first  ;  and  class  18,  for 
the  same  number  of  flowers,  you  say  I  was  first.  As  a  matter  of  fact 
the  reverse  was  the  case.  I  was  placed  first,  with  Mr.  Byron  second,  in 
class  16  ;  while  Mr.  Whittle  was  awarded  first  (I  believe  through  an  * 
error  in  placing  his  box)  in  class  18.  The  reversal  of  position  would  be 
comparatively  immaterial  but  for  the  fact  that  while  class  16  is  open  to 
growers  of  not  more  than  1000  plants,  class  18  is  restricted  to  exhibitors 
possessing  not  more  than  500,  and  as  I  took  so  large  a  part  in  the  intro¬ 
duction  of  the  re-casting  of  the  schedule  into  these  divisions  I  am  vexed  ’ 
that,  growing  560  trees,  I  am  reported  as  showing  in  the  division  open 
only  to  those  growing  less  than  500.— Jxo.  Bateman,  Higlvmte.  N. 
*P.s. — When  the  mistake  in  class  18  was  discovered  Mr.  Edward 
Mawley  gave  considerable  care  and  attention  to  the  endeavour  to  rectify 
it,  and  finally  decided  that  the  best  plan  would  be  to  give  equal  firsts  to 
Messrs.  Whittle  and  Poster,  and  labels  were  altered  accordingly. 
The  National  Rose  Society’s  Metropolitan  Show. 
The  Crystal  Palace  exhibition  of  the  National  Rose  Society  was, 
with  the  exception  of  that  held  there  in  1893— also  a  remarkably  dry 
and  forward  year — the  smallest  metropolitan  show  that  has  been  held 
by  the  Society  since  1887.  The  total  number  of  show  blooms  amounted 
to  5450,  or  about  550  less  than  the  average  number  staged  at  the  five 
preceding  exhibitions.  There  were  altogether  seventy-eight  exhibitors, 
staging  between  302  exhibits.  Of  these  stands,  nine  came  from  Scot¬ 
land,  five  from  Ireland,  and  two  from  Wales.  The  number  of  exhibits 
seat  by  the  twenty-three  English  counties  represented  at  the  show  were 
as  follows  Essex,  52  stands  ;  Surrey,  31  ;  Oxford,  28  ;  Hertford¬ 
shire,  25  ;  Kent,  22  :  Nottinghamshire,  19  ;  Middlesex,  15  ;  Worcester¬ 
shire,  13  ;  Berkshire^  11  ;  Yorkshire,  11  ;  Gloucestershire,  9  ;  Suffolk,  9; 
Sussex,  9;  Derbyshire,  6;  Northamptonshire,  6;  Leicestershire,  5.;  , 
Somerset.  4  ;  Herefordshire,  3  ;  Bedfordshire,  2  ;  Cambridgeshire,  2  j 
Isle  of  Wight,  2;  Norfolk,  1;  and  Worcestershire,  1.— E.  M.,  Berk- 
hamsted. 
PEAS  AND  STRAWBERRIES  AT  STONELEIGII  ABBEY 
GARDENS. 
A  FEW  weeks  since  I  had  the  pleasure  of  inspecting  wonderfully  well 
grown  and  extensive  collections  of  these  ;  indeed,  it  is  seldom  in  any 
private  garden  that  one  has  the  opportunity  of  seeing  so  many  good 
varieties  of  early  Peas,  which  were  sown  on  the  same  day,  and  have 
been  grown  under  precisely  the  same  conditions  throughout.  When 
this  is  done  a  fair  idea  may  be  formed  as  to  the  earliness  and  cropping 
qualities  of  the  varieties  grown. 
Many  of  them  followed  each  other  so  closely  in  point  of  earliness 
that  for  practical  purposes  one  could  scarcely  be  described  as  earlier 
than  the  others.  Veitch’s  Chelsea  Gem  seemed,  however,  to  be  slightly 
in  advance  of  all  others,  the  pods  being  well  filled,  the  habit  dwart  and 
sturdy,  and  the  cropping  qualities  everything  to  be  desired,  Sutton’s 
Seedling  Marrowfat,  though  scarcely  so  early  as  the  preceding,  is  a 
grand  Pea  in  every  way,  the  pods  being  extra  large,  the  habit  very 
dwarf,  and  the  flavour  of  the  peas  first  rate  ;  it  is  indeed  a  coming 
variety,  and  ought  to  'oe  grown  by  everyone.  I  could  see  but  little 
difference  in  point  of  earliness  between  American  Wonder  and  English 
Wonder.  Among  tall -growing  kinds  Sutton’s  Al,  Veitch’s  Selected 
Extra  Early,  and  William  I.  were  all  just  ready  for  gathering,  from 
