THE  "JOVEHAh  OE  HORTICULTURE;'  JULY  2fi,  lOOO. 
Commemorative  Jestival  of  the  Sweet  ^ea. 
'  OR  a  period  of  sevfral  montbs  the  colurrins  of  the 
Journal  of  ■  Horticulture  and  its  contemporaries  have 
contained  occasional  references  to  the  meetings  of 
the  executive  committee  of  the  international  celt  - 
bration  of  the  bicentenary  of  the  introduction  of  the 
i  Sweet  Pea  into  Great  Britain,  and  the  gardening  public 
have  entered  into  the  spirit  of  the  celebration  with 
enthusiasm.  There  have  been  murmurings  against  such  an 
I  event,  protestations  that  it  would  be  worse  than  useless,  and 
that  failure  was  written  over  it  all.  We  were  glad  to  see, 
however,"  that  even  the  oppositionists  were  converted  when  the 
conviction  was  forced  upon  them  that  here  was  to  be  one  of  the 
greatest  horticultural  successes  of  the  last  quarter  of  a  century.  They 
donned  Joseph’s  coat,  and  the  voice  of  the  dissenter  was  stilled. 
The  committee,  with  Mr.  George  Gordon  as  its  chairman  'and 
Mr.  E.  Dean  as  secretary,  recognised  at  an  early  period  that  the 
undertaking  that  had  sprung  from  such  a  modest  beginning  was 
going  to  be  a  most  unqualified  success.  The  several  members  worked 
with  a  really  surprising  unanimity — they  were  evidently  thoroughly 
imbued  with  the  spirit  that  union  means  strength.  The  schedule  Was 
not  from  the  hands  of  the  printers  ere  applications  began  to  pour  in 
from  all  quarters  ;  while  the  great  horticultural  firms  did  not  seem  to 
be  able  to  do  enough  in  the  form  of  special  prizes  for  the  fragrant 
flower  of  the  year.  The  suggestion  that  subscriptions  would  be 
welcomed  was  respotided  to  with  a  generous  promptness  that  speaks 
volumes  for  the  earnestness  of  gardeners,  and  proves  the  truth  of  the 
words  of  a  writer  in  one  of  the  leading  daily  papers,  who  in  referring 
to  the  exhibition  said:  “Your  true  gardener  is  an  enthusiast,  and  to 
a  certain  extent  ignores  the  outside  world.  England  may  have  three 
wars  going  on  at  once,  and  promises  of  further  complications  in  the 
near  future,  but  your  true  gardener  dots  not  allow  himself  to  be 
worried  by  such  trifles.” 
The  most  careful  consideration  was  given  to  every  point  that 
might  increase  the  interest  in  this  charming  annual,  and  in  the  success 
which  has  crowned  their  efforts  the  promoters  and  managers  have 
found  an  ample  reward.  At  an  early  moment  in  the  proceedings  it 
was  recognised  that  the  examination  of  a  comprehensive  collection  of 
Sweet  Peas  for  the  purposes  of  classification  was  very  desirable 
With  [this  end  in  view  Mr.  N.  N.  Sherwood,  head  of  the  great 
wholesale  seed  house  of  Hurst  &  Sons,  was  approached  respecting 
a  visit  to  Kelvedon;  this  gentleman  replied  that  he  should  be  delighted 
to  meet  the  committee  at  the  trial  grounds,  and  that  any  information 
possr  ssed  by  the  firm  would  be  placed  at  the  command  of  the  committee. 
Ttie  Visit  to  Kelvedon, 
It  was  on  Monday,  July  16th,  that  the  committee  and  a  number 
of  friends  invited  by  Mr.  Sherwood  met  at  Liverpool  Street  Station,  and 
proceeded  thence  to  Kelvedon.  Detraining  here  it  was  observed  with 
a  sigh  of  genuine  relief  that  our  host  had  provided  a  number  of  brakes 
in  which  to  drive  to  our  destination.  Readers  will  understand  our 
thankfulness  when  they  remember  that  the  thermometer  exceeded  130° 
in  the  sun,  and  about  92°  in  the  shade. 
The  trial  grounds  of  Messrs.  Hurst  &  Sons  are  at  Feering,  about 
one  and  a  half  mile  from  Kelvedon,  and  they  flank  the  main  road  at 
certain  portions.  In  proceeding  from  the  station  we  did  not  alight  at 
the  grounds,  but  drove  on  to  Prested  Hall,  a  charming  old  house 
which  Mr.  Sherwood  now  uses  as  a  shooting  box.  It  is  said  to  have 
been  built  in  1539,  from  which  statement  readers  may  glean  some¬ 
what  of  itsfarchitectural  Jfeaturesl  both  ^within  and  without.  In  the 
hall  a  gong  has  been  formed  by  the  outer  casing  of  a  British  shell  that 
is  reputed  to  have  done  some  damage  to  the  Boers  in  the  present  war. 
Whether  it  did  so  or  not  is  immaterial,  as  its  burnished  brass  case 
now  makes  an  admirable  gong.  It  was  noticed  how  eagerly  everyone 
attacked  that  gong,  but  after  all  luncheon  was  served  in  a  marquee 
without  official  notice  having  been  struck. 
Notwithstanding  the  heat  everyone  was  apparently  in  good 
appetite,  and  the  excellent  meal  was  discussed  amid  serious  discussion 
and  badinage,  and  was  enjoyed  by  all.  The  time  was  not  largely 
taken  up  by  speech-making,  and  the  party  was  soon  proceeding  in 
different  sized  sections  to  the  trial  grounds.  En  route  we  passed 
through  acres  of  culinary  Peas  down  for  seed,  with  Beans  and  other 
crops  in  different  parts.  The  usual  discussion  arose  as  to  the  merits 
or  otherwise  of  certain  varieties,  and  speculations  were  rife  as  to  the 
distinctness  of  this  variety  or  that ;  but  it  was  far  too  hot  to  become 
excited  without  some  serious  tangible  reason.  Some  plodded  on  under 
the  guiding  wing  of  Mr.  Newby,  the  firm’s  manager  at  Feering,  until 
the  Sweet  Pea  trial  was  reached. 
The  several  members  of  the  Classification  Committee  were  called 
together,  and  for  upwards  of  two  hours  {passed  and  repassed  along  the 
rows  of  plants,  and  argued  mildly  as  to  the  merits  or  otherwise  of  the 
flowers  examined.  The  members  were  conscientious  in  their  desire  to 
do  the  work  for  which  the  journey  had  been  taken,  but  even  their 
:  keen  sense  of  duty  was  not  ptoof  against  the  attractions  of  a  water 
(Appollinaris)  cart,  which  with  et-ceteras  came  soon  after  three. 
■  Everyone  was  thirsty,  and  every  man  drank.  The  strike  being 
ended  work  was  resumed,  but  the  sun  seemed  to  grow  hotter  and 
hotter,  and  the  task  even  of  voting  aye  or  nay  was  too  great  for' some 
I  pf  the  visitors.  At  four  o’clock  another  division  occurred,  some  of 
the  members  having  to  return  at  once  to  the  metropolis.  A  cup  of 
most  refreshing  tea  was  provided  by  Mrs.  Newby,  and  away  went 
one  breakload,  while  the  remainder  toiled  away  beneath  the  sweltering, 
sun.  We  are  not  able  to  give  the  results  of  the  labours  of  that 
committee,  so  we  will  briefly  give  readers  an  idea  of  the  extent  of  the 
trials. 
The  number  of  rows  reached  225  in  all ;  but  these  figures  do  not 
represent  distinct  named  varieties.  It  must  be  borne  in  mind  that 
the  trial  was  instituted  in  the  ordinary  way  of  business  by  the  firm  to 
test  the  germinative  powers  and  the  correctness  of  the  stock  with 
which  they  had  been  supplied.  Hence  it  was  found  that  several 
varieties  were  duplicated,  indicating  that  seeds  in  bulk  had  been 
procured  from  two  sources,  while  in  the  case  of  Blanche  Burpee  there 
i  were  at  least  half  a  dozen  trials.  Each  row  was  numbered,  and  the 
!  firm  had  had  books  prepared  for  the  party,  giving  the  number,  the 
I  name  of  the  variety,  and  leaving  an  abundance  of  space  for  annotation. 
]  This  was  a  most  admirable  idea,  and  was  of  the  greatest  assistance  to 
j  everyone  present.  Every  row  was  examined,  and  despite  the  heat 
I  some  were  keenly  discussed  ere  one,  two,  or  three  marks  were  recorded, 
j  It  is  possible  that  some  varieties  scored  a  point  more  than  their  just 
j  due,  and  that  others  were  a  point  below,  but  generally  speaking  the 
1  quality  of  the  flowers  was  accurately  recorded. 
Some  vaiieties  stood  out  from  their  neighbours  with  conspicuous 
excellence  in  the  softness  or  richness  of  their  colour,  but  there  was  not 
that  great  difference  in  the  size  of  the  flowers  that  might  have  been 
anticipated.  They  were  all  smaller  than  would  be  the  case  under 
normal  garden  conditions,  with  the  soil  in  the  perfection  of  condition 
at  the  outset,  and  the  subsequent  attention  of  the  closest  and  the 
most  skilful.  The  fact  that  they  had  not  been  grown  under  the  most 
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