September  3,  1896, 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER, 
223 
the  colomrs  particularised  there  are  many  others,  but  those  named  must 
suffice  for  these  notes.  Of  the  thousands  of  plants  none  was  seen  that 
was  unhealthy,  and  the  majority  were  as  good,  or  better,  than  would  be 
seen  at  most  exhibitions. 
Turning  now  for  a  moment  to  the  doubles,  we  are  confronted  with 
the  same  sturdy  habit  and  floriferousness  of  the  plants — indeed  these 
points  seem  peculiar  to  the  strain — with  a  marvellous  symmetry,  depth, 
and  substance  of  flower.  Instead  of  a  bloom  with  big  guard  petals  and 
a  mass  of  tiny  petals  within,  we  have  here  in  large  numbers  of  the 
flowers  the  smoothness  and  substance  of  the  petals  of  the  Kose  and  the 
Camellia.  This  is  an  extremely  desirable  point  to  aim  at  in  hybridising, 
as  it  certainly  gives  us  a  flower  of  much  greater  beauty.  There  are 
hundreds  of  doubles  of  the  same  age  as  the  singles,  and  the  range  of 
colour  is  extremely  wide.  There  are  all  the  well  known  hues  in  more 
than  customary  good  characters,  with  some  new  breaks,  of  which  more 
will  certainly  be  heard  in  the  future.  Several  houses  and  beds  are 
libeded  to  accommodate  the  plants,  and  as  a  collection,  raised  entirely 
from  seeds  since  February,  1895,  it  is  undoubtedly  one  of  the  finest  that 
can  be  found  in  the  country. 
do  well  are  the  fibrous-rooted  Begonias  known  as  specialities  of 
Sutton’s  that  it  is  perhaps  unnecessary  to  call  attention  to  their  beauty 
now.  As  one  of  the  sights  at  the  Portland  Road  Nurseries,  however,  we 
must  mention  the  happy  assooiations  of  this  section  with  the  tuberous- 
rooted  ones,  the  latter  forming  the  centre  of  the  beds,  with  the  former 
planted  as  a  broad  margin.  The  six  chief  varieties  are  Sutton’s  Duchess 
of  Elinburgh,  Crimson  Gem,  Princess  Beatrice,  After  Glow,  and  Duchess 
of  York,  with  Reading  Snowflake,  and  for  fear  of  missing  the  best, 
growers  should  try  all  of  them,  when  they  are  sure  to  be  right. 
Gloxinias. 
For  some  considerable  time  now  the  Reading  strain  of  Gloxinias  has 
been  familiar  to  gardeners  and  amateurs.  It  is  a  strain  distinct  from  all 
others  in  its  large,  bold  leaves,  besides  which  it  has  massive  and  richly 
or  delicately  hued  flowers.  The  plants  seen  are  young,  having  come 
from  seeds  sown  at  the  same  time  as  the  Begonias,  but  there  is  a 
wonderful  evenness  amongst  them,  for  all  were  about  the  same  size  and 
carrying  an  equal  number  of  blooms.  Other  plants  of  these,  again,  are 
being  fertilised  to  be  reserved  for  seeding,  and  to  meet  the  demands  of  the 
thousands  of  customers  an  enormous  number  of  seeds  is  required.  Most 
of  the  varieties  are  to  be  had  from  a  packet  of  mixed  seeds,  and  doubtless 
these  sometimes  contain  prizes  in  the  form  of  new  and  distinct  varieties, 
but  to  have  the  best  results  from  the  strain  the  named  varieties  should  be 
secured. 
Anent  these  named  varieties  a  few  remarks  may  well  be  made,  for 
they  are  above  the  common  in  all  respects.  They  thrive  remarkably 
well  with  ordinarily  good  treatment,  and  develop  flowers  of  unusual  size, 
substance,  and  colour.  The  chastely  beautiful  Her  Majesty  is  now  well 
known  as  one  of  the  most  desirable  and  floriferous  in  cultivation . 
Brilliantly  conspicuous  are  the  two  vaiieties  known  as  Reading  Scarlet 
and  Reading  Crimson,  while  Sutton’s  Purple  is  equally  good  in  its  style. 
The  exquisite  delicacy  of  the  soft  rose-coloured  blooms  of  Princess  May 
will  insure  it  great  popularity,  as  also  will  the  sky-blue  flowers  of 
Sutton’s  Azure  Blue.  Two  others  remain  to  be  noted,  the  one  a  purple 
with  a  white  band  and  the  other  a  crimson  with  a  white  band,  named 
respectively  Duchess  of  York  and  Duke  of  York.  They,  with  those 
previously  mentioned,  are  simply  superb. 
Phloxes,  Peiunias,  and  Hollyhocks. 
To  leave  these  nurseries  without  a  glance  at  the  flowers  out  of  doors 
would  be  to  do  an  injustice  to  the  flowers,  for  they  are  in  their  way  as 
good  and  as  useful  as  those  that  have  already  been  noted.  The  dryness 
of  the  season  seems  scarcely  to  have  prejudicially  affected  the  plants, 
for  they  are  flowering  in  an  astonishing  manner,  the  Phloxes  especially 
seeming  like  a  carpet  of  flowers.  True  the  plants  have  not  become  quite 
so  large  as  in  a  more  congenial  season  they  would  do,  but  this  is 
rendered  inconspicuous  by  the  glorious  display  of  flowers.  The  varieties 
are  those  of  Phlox  Drummondi,  and  it  is  astonishing  how  beautiful  is 
the  display  they  make  when  grown  in  an  immense  mass  as  here.  They 
are  grown,  too,  for  the  plants  are  no  mere  straggling  specimens,  but 
are  dwarf  and  sturdy,  as  they  should  be  when  the  best  results  are  aimed 
at.  Another  strain  of  P.  Drummondi  is  that  designated  “  Dwarf 
Compact,”  which  for  beds  is  unrivalled.  The  plants  attain  to  a  height 
■of  about  half  a  foot,  and  are  covered  with  flowers. 
Select  a  reajly  first-class  strain  of  Petunia  seeds,  and  after  raising  the 
plants  carefully  place  them  in  beds  in  the  full  sunshine,  and  the  result 
will  be  charming  ia  the  variations  of  form  and  colour  that  will  be  found 
amongst  the  flowers.  Walking  amongst  the  perfectly  grown  plants  at 
Reading  the  fullest  possible  extent  of  their  beauty  may  be  emphatically 
realised  by  the  uninitiated,  and  nowhere  will  the  lesson  be  better  learned. 
There  can  be  seen  double  and  single  flowers,  fimbriated  and  unfimbriated, 
dwarf  and  tall,  but  all  conspicuous  alike  for  their  beauty.  But  let  all 
see  for  themselves.  Now  a  word  regarding  the  Hollyhocks,  and  we 
must  pass  to  fresh  fields  and  pastures  new.  The  hundreds  of  specimens 
are  several  feet  in  height,  and  above  the  bold  leafage  at  the  base  the 
stems  are  wreathed  in  flowers,  creating  a  remarkable  display.  Of  the 
other  flowers  we  are  reluctantly  compelled  to  say  nothing,  richly  though 
they  deserved  to  be  mentioned. 
Ten  Minutes  at  the  Farm. 
Very  few  visitors  to  the  Reading  seed  warehouses  and  nurseries 
will  leave  without  having  bad  a  few  minutes  at  the  Farm,  which,  as 
is  well  known,  is  situated  somewhat  on  the  outskirts  of  the  town, 
between  the  Great  Western  and  South-Western  Railways.  The 
elaborate  trials  carried  out  here  always  prove  a  source  of 
inexhaustible  interest  to  horticulturists,  and  to  adequately  deal  with 
the  whole  would  neoessitate  the  utilisation  of  several  more  pages  of 
the  Journal.  These,  however,  are  not  available,  so  we  must  perforce  be 
content  with  the  mention  of  one  or  two  specialities  that  are  seen  in 
such  good  form.  It  is  worthy  of  record,  by  the  way,  that  the  soil  here  ia 
of  a  very  sandy  and  poor  nature.  No  water  is  given  to  the  plants,  so 
that  they  should  do  even  better  in  gardens  better  situated  in  these 
respects.  The  wonder  is  that  in  seasons  such  as  the  one  through  which 
we  have  just  passed  that  the  cultivators  are  Able  to  insure  such  a  stocky 
and  floriferous  gDwth  in  the  plants. 
Very  attractive  is  the  giant  white  Sultan,  a  decided  improvement  on 
the  older  forms,  as  also  are  one  or  two  other  forms  that  will  be  heard  of 
later.  A  rosy  scarlet  Larkspur  with  double  flowers  is  extremely  attrac¬ 
tive  and  worthy  of  attention,  as  also  is  Lavatera  rosea  splendens,  a 
variety  with  single  and  richly  coloured  flowers,  which  stand  remarkably 
well  in  a  cut  state  when  placed  in  water.  Then  there  are  Cardamines, 
Salpiglossis,  Sunflowers,  Brachycomes,  Poppies,  Scocks,  and  others, 
which  unfortunately  cannot  be  particularised.  Everyone  must  gain  in 
knowledge  who  visits  Suttons,  no  matter  at  what  period  of  the  year  the 
journey  is  made — at  least  such  is  the  decided  opinion  of — A  Journal 
Reader. 
BASHAM  COURT. 
To  be  once  more  among  the  Hops  and  fruit  is  to  a  Kentish  man 
what  the  ocean  is  to  the  mariner.  In  each  case  the  surroundings  are 
congenial,  and  therefore  conducive  to  an  easy  happy  frame  of  mind. 
Such  thoughts  occurred  to  me  as  I  once  more  traversed  that  fair  valley, 
in  England’s  fertile  garden,  that  follows  the  winding  course  of  the 
“  Medway’s  silvery  stream.”  Having  been  for  some  years  in  a  distant 
county,  where  Hops  grow  not,  my  information  as  to  the  prospect  of  this 
year’s  crop  was  confined  to  the  information  given  in  conflicting  news¬ 
paper  reports.  Judging  by  these  I  expected  to  find  the  Hops  in  a  sorry 
plight,  but  to  my  welcomed  surprise  the  bine  looked  strong  and  healthy, 
and  was  in  many  places  just  coming  into  ”  burr.”  Acre  after  acre  of 
well-tilled  soil,  with  a  fine  crummy  surface,  absolutely  free  from  weeds, 
showed  plainly  that  the  Kentish  Hop  growers  practise  perfect  culture. 
They  deserve  success,  if  they  do  not  always  attain  it. 
This  valley  of  the  Medway  must  indeed  be  due  of  the  most  fertile 
parts  of  the  county,  for,  notwithstanding  the  prolonged  drought,  trees 
and  crops  by  no  means  presented  that  sorry  appearance  1  bad  noticed  in 
other  parts.  This  is  all  the  more  remarkable  considering  the  nature  of 
the  ground,  which  rises  in  sharp  slopes  from  the  water’s  edge  to  the 
distant  horizon — in  situation  an  ideal  place  for  fruit  growing  and  wood 
ripening,  provided  abundance  of  water  were  at  command.  Apples  in 
the  numerous  orchards  passed  seemed  to  be  a  good  if  not  a  heavy  crop, 
and  I  noticed  young  trees  were  bearing  much  better  than  old  ones. 
Plums  seemed  to  be  the  only  real  failure.  So  far,  at  least,  I  seem  to 
have  somewhat  diverged  from  the  matter  to  be  expected  below  the 
heading  of  these  notes,  but  the  materials  crop  up  along  on  route  good 
reader,  for  in  a  four  mile  drive,  from  Maidstone  to  Barham  Court,  as 
great  an  acreage  of  Hops  and  fruit  may  be  seen  as  in  any  other  similar 
distance  in  Britain, 
The  gardens  of  Roger  Leigh,  Esq.,  at  the  place  above  named,  have 
long  been  famous  for  the  superb  examples  of  hardy  fruit  grown  in  them. 
Should  any  reader  be  unacquainted  with  the  past  achievements  of  the 
fruit  from  this  Kentish  garden  they  have  only  to  turn  to  back  numbers 
of  the  Journal  of  Hort'mdture  which  contain  reports  of  the  great 
fruit  shows,  to  find  the  Barham  Court  fruits  very  much  in  evidence. 
After  receiving  a  hearty  welcome  from  the  courteous  and  clever 
gardener  (Mr.  G.  Woodward)  we  proceeded  at  once  to  spend  the  few 
hours  at  our  disposal  in  closely  inspecting  the  large  and  unique  collec¬ 
tion  of  fruit  trees,  not  barren  trees,  but  in  almost  every  instance  laden 
with  crops  of  unusual  promise.  Two  very  large  unheated  span-roofec‘ 
houses  are  devoted  to  the  culture  of  Peaches  and  Nectarines.  I  remember 
these  years  ago  when  they  were  erected.  The  trees  were  then  prin¬ 
cipally  grown  in  pots,  and  the  house  had  no  side  lights-— it  was  simply 
a  glass  roof,  the  sides  being  at  all  times  open  to  the  weather.  Under 
these  conditions  the  trees  suffered  badly  from  mildew.  Side  lights  were 
then  provided ;  a  marked  improvement  in  the  health  of  the  trees  was 
soon  apparent,  and  the  former  pest  has  given  but  little  trouble  since.  I 
have  seen  Peaches  and  Nectarines  grown  in  a  great  variety  of  ways.  I 
have  seen  them  bearing  grand  crops,  but  for  a  combination  of  simplicity 
in  culture  and  satisfactory  results  I  must  yield  the  palm  to  the  trees  as- 
here  seen.  They  are  standards,  planted  out  and  grown  exactly  as  they 
might  be  in  an  American  orchard.  The  trees  were  originally  planted  in 
three  or  four  rows,  but  they  grow  so  well  that  many  of  them  are  being 
removed  by  degrees,  so  that  in  time  those  planted  near  the  corners  and 
under  the  apex  of  the  house  will  fill  the  entire  space.  At  the  end  of 
one  of  the  houses  where  a  tree  had  been  removed  Mr.  Woodward  (who 
likes  to  be  early  in  the  field  with  a  good  thing)  has  planted  healthy 
trees  of  Rivers’  Early  Nectarine,  and  although  it  cost  2  or  3  guineas  as 
a  maiden  he  considers  it  a  profitable  investment.  At  the  time  of  my  visit 
it  was  carrying  many  grand  fruits,  some  just  ripe,  others  fast  approaching 
that  stage,  while  fruits  of  other  varieties  in  the  same  home '‘ore  ijuitegreen. 
Further  comment  is,  I  think,  unnecessary.  In  this  house  were  also  fine 
tr^es  of  Lord  Napier,  Rivera’  Orange,  Elruge,  and  Pineapple.  Among 
Peaches,  Bellegarde  is  greatly  liked,  and  was  represented  by  several 
large  trees  loaded  with  fruit.  The  finest  tree  ia  the  whole  collection. 
