60 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER 
January  17,  1901. 
Sweet  Peas, 
{Continued  from  paqe  36.) 
The  following  is  a  selection  of  desirable  varieties  classified  some¬ 
what  as  to  colour.  White  flowered  varieties  are  perhaps  more  popular 
than  any  others,  as  they  are  so  useful  in  floral  work.  Sadie  Burpee, 
Emily  Henderson,  and  Blanche  Burpee  well  represent  this  colour ; 
any  one  can  be  chosen  without  risk  of  failure.  Navy  Blue  is  one  of 
Burpee’s  seedlings  ;  the  standards  are  a  brilliant  royal  purple  and  the 
wings  violet  with  a  lighter  keel.  Countess  of  Cadogan  has  slightly 
hooded  standards  of  bright  shining  violet  overlaid  with  a  pleasing  tint 
of  sky  blue  ;  the  wings  are  sky  blue  with  a  lavender  keel.  Blush 
coloured  varieties  are  well  represented  by  Duchess  of  Sutherland, 
pearly  white,  delicately  suffused  with  ligh-t  pink.  The  blossoms  are 
widely  placed  on  the  stout  stems,  which  is  an  advantage.  The 
standards  are  slightly  hooded.  A  pleasing  flower  also  is  Countess  of 
Aberdeen,  white  suffused  with  pale  pink,  with  finely  formed  standards. 
Mrs.  Fitzgerald,  so't  creamy  tint,  flushed  and  edged  with  pale  rose,  is 
also  useful.  Claret  tinted  flowers  are  represented  by  Duke  of  West¬ 
minster,  a  deep  rose-tinted  maroon,  overlaid  with  bright  violet.  Venus 
is  still  one  of  the  best  of  varieties  with  cream  white  ground.  The 
colour  is  salmon  buff,  the  standards  delicately  shaded  rosy  pink. 
Lady  Beaconsfield  has  salmon  rose-tinted  standards  and  pale  yellow 
wings. 
In  the  crimson  flowered  section  we  have  several  desirable  varieties. 
Mars  is  fiery  crimson,  which  deepens  with  age  ;  Salopian,  Wideawake, 
and  Firefly  are  also  good  sorts  belonging  to  this  section.  Duke  of 
Sutherland  well  represents  the  indigo-tinted  section.  The  standards 
of  this  variety  are  claret  flushed  with  maroon  at  the  back  ;  the  wings 
are  a  bright  indigo  blue,  the  keel  is  of  a  pale  blue  tint.  Several 
charming  varieties  represent  the  lavender  section.  Lady  Grisel 
Hamilton  is  perhaps  the  most  attractive  of  all  the  colours ;  is  a  shining 
pale  lavender.  Lady  Nina  Balfour  is  also  a  conspicuous  variety,  a 
shade  paler  in  tint  than  the  former.  Golden  Gate,  although  belonging 
to  this  type,  is  somewhat  different  in  colour — pinkish  lavender,  with  a 
rose  pink  suffusion  of  the  standard,  deepening  towards  the  base.  Queen 
Victoria,  Mrs.  Eckford,  Golden  Gleam,  and  Cream  of  Brockhampton 
well  represent  the  yellow  flowered  division.  The  former  is  the  mo.-t 
desirable.  Its  flowers  are  of  great  size,  supported  on  stout  stalks ; 
colour  soft  yellow  with  just  a  suspicion  of  purple.  Scarlet  tinted  sorts 
are  to  be  found  in  Prince  Edward  of  York.  The  standards  are  red,  but 
the  wings  are  pale  puce,  which  detracts  from  its  merits  as  a  scarlet 
flowered  sort. 
Orange  coloured  varieties  are  represented  by  no  less  than  eight 
sorts.  Gorgeous,  an  American  raised  seedling,  is  the  best ;  the 
standards  are  of  salmon  orange  and  the  wings  soft  rose  with  deeply 
coloured  veins.  Lady  Mary  Currie  has  deep  orange  pink  standards, 
the  wings  flushed  with  rose.  Lovely  is  a  pink  flowered  variety  with 
a  deeper  suffusion  at  the  back  of  the  standard.  Duchess  of  West¬ 
minster  has  somewhat  small  blooms,  but  is  novel  in  colour ;  the  wings 
are  flushed  pink,  deepening  in  the  standard,  and  terminating  with  a 
flushed  apricot  suffusion.  Hon.  F.  Bouverie  has  a  coral  pink  standard, 
veined  deeper,  wings  pale  pink.  Lady  Skelmersdale  and  Colonist 
both  represent  the  lilac  coloured  section.  The  former  has  bright  rosy 
lilac  standards;  the  white  wings  are  slightly  tinted  with  the  same 
hue.  Colonist  has  soft  lilac  wings  and  rosy  lilac  standards.  This  is  a 
vigorous  growing  free  flowering  variety.  Magenta  coloured  varieties 
are  not  numerous.  Calypso  is  the  best  of  the  section,  and  one 
of  the  finest  Sweet  Peas  in  cultivation.  The  bold  standards  are  of 
rich  bright  magenta  tint  flushed  with  mauve  ;  the  wings  are  a 
delicate  mauve,  forming  a  striking  contrast.  Maroon  coloured  varieties 
have  four  names,  any  two  is  sufficient.  Black  Knight  is  perhaps  the 
most  desirable,  although  Othello  might  be  preferred  by  some.  The 
former  is  a  deep  maroon  with  an  intense  metallic  lustre  on  the 
standard;  keel  pale  purple,  which  gives  a  distinct  character  to  the 
flower.  The  mauve  coloured  section  is  a  distinct  and  pleasing  one. 
Fascination,  a  new  American  variety,  is  splendid  ;  the  standards  are 
of  a  delicate  magenta  mauve,  the  wings  deep  mauve,  and  when  on 
the  plant  or  in  a  cut  state  it  is  delightful.  The  growth  is  vigorous, 
and  the  blossoms  freely  produced.  Dorothy  Tennant  is  somewhat 
old,  but  still  one  of  the  best.  The  wing  colour  is  puce  violet,  with 
rosy  mauve  tinted  standards. 
Monarch  is  perhaps  the  only  variety  that  can  be  classed  under  the 
head  of  purple.  The  standards  are  a  bronzy  crimson  tint,  with  wings 
of  an  intense  deep  blue  colour.  Rose  coloured  varieties  are  numerous, 
quite  twelve  might  be  chosen.  Her  Majesty  is  still  one  of  the  best — 
a  soft  rosy  pink  self.  Prince  of  Wales  strikes  many  persons  as  a 
handsome  variety  ;  the  standard  has  a  bright  rose  tint  with  deeper 
veining  and  paler  wings.  In  Lord  Kenyon  the  standards  are  flushed 
and  veined  more  deeply  with  rose.  Chancellor  is  a  distinct  variety  ;  it 
is  a  rose  self,  heavily  veined  with  a  deeper  tint.  Triumph  is  charming 
with  its  deep  rose  coloured  standards  and  paler  wings  and  keel. 
The  striped  section  is  now  numerous  in  variety,  many  having 
lately  been  added.  This  section  does  not,  however,  appeal  to  all  in 
the  same  way  that  self-coloured  sorts  do.  Princess  of  Wales  is  quite 
the  best  of  those  with  purple  or  mauve  stripes.  Mrs.  Joseph  Cham¬ 
berlain,  white,  striped  and  heavily  flaked  with  rose,  is  a  bold  variety, 
although  somewhat  old.  America  has  perhaps  the  brightest  tint  of 
colour,  scarlet  on  a  white  ground.  Midnight  will  appeal  to  the 
majority  of  cultivators.  The  standards  are  quite  waved  with  a 
bronzy  tint  on  a  purple  white  base.  If  more  are  required  Aurora, 
Gaiety,  Senator,  and  Mikado  may  be  included. 
New  varieties  did  not  appear  to  be  numerous  during  the  last 
season.  Mr.  H.  Eckford  has  the  following,  which  are  worthy  of 
addition  : — Miss  Willmott  is  best  described  as  an  improvement  upon 
Gorgeous.  The  growth  is  vigorous  with  strong  flower  stalks  and 
extra  large  blossoms.  Jeanie  Gordon  is  a  hooded  variety,  with  pale 
rose  tinted  standards  and  cream  white  wings  veined  and  flushed  with 
carmine.  Lady  M.  Ormsby  Gore  is  after  the  style  of  Queen  Yictoria, 
except  that  the  blooms  are  more  inclined  to  pink  than  that  variety. 
George  Gordon  is  best  described  as  a  distinct  lake-coloured  self. — 
E.  Molyneux. 
- «.#.> - 
Currants. 
Currants  are,  it  is  true,  the  smallest  of  our  “small  fruits,”  and  as 
a  general  rule  they  receive  a  correspondingly  small  amount  of  attention. 
An  ordinary  crop  of  Currants  may  be  secured  with  little  attention, 
and  thus  their  accommodating  natures  are  imposed  upon.  First-class 
fruit  and  first-class  crops,  however,  can  only  be  obtained  from  Currant 
bushes  where  care  and  attention  are  bestowed  upon  their  cultivation. 
What  a  contrast  between  the  crops  and  the  quality  of  the  fruit  as  seen 
in  Covent  Garden,  from  the  market  gardens  round  London,  and  those 
in  most  private  gardens  throughout  the  country  !  The  produce  is  in 
general  more  than  double,  and  the  quality  beyond  comparison.  Why 
should  this  difference  be  ?  Is  it  indifference  ?  I  almost  think  so.  Are 
Currants  deserving  of  this  cool  treatment  ?  Few  will  answer  in  the 
affirmative.  They  do  not  take  high  rank  as  a  dessert  fruit  it  is  true, 
only  being  called  upon  for  the  sake  of  appearance  in  times  of  scarcity 
(the  White  excepted  a  little)  ;  a  few  strange  palates  relish  the  acid 
Red.  When  large  and  very  fine,  their  handsome  appearance  tempts 
many  a  one  to  try  them ;  it  is,  however,  mainly  to  the  kitchen  they 
must  go,  to  make  tarts  and  pies,  and  to  the  confectioner  to  make 
preserves. 
Where  is  the  household  that  can  be  without  its  Red  Currant  jelly 
and  its  Black  Currant  jam  P  Small  ordinary  Currants  do  not  make  so 
good  a  jelly  as  fine,  large,  well-grown  fruit  does,  and  double  the 
quantity  is  required,  nor  so  good  a  jam,  there  being  too  many  “  skins 
’and  pips,”  and  too  little  of  the  nectar  itself.  To  the  consumer  the  one 
is  almost  double  the  value,  measure  for  measure,  of  the  other,  and 
actually  more  so  to  the  producer,  taking  into  consideration  the  scanty 
crop,  and  the  great  waste  of  time  involved  in  gathering  it.  In 
proportion  to  size,  the  Red  and  White  Currants  will  bear  a  greater 
weight  of  fruit  than  any  other  of  our  fruiting  plants.  The  bulk  of 
fruit  will  often  exceed  the  bulk  of  the  entire  plant,  leaves  and  stems 
together. 
To  secure  standard  Currants,  nothing  more  is  required  than  to 
select  some  of  the  strongest  cuttings,  put  them  in  at  good  length,  tie 
them  to  a  stake,  and  let  them  grow  to  the  desired  height  before 
allowing  them  to  branch  out.  It  imparts  vigour  to  shorten  them  in 
winter  some  few  inches,  and  if  more  than  one  bud  breaks  pinch  them 
all  back  to  the  one  leader.  To  form  the  head,  allow  three  shoots  only 
the  first  season,  and  in  winter  cut  these  back  to  3  or  4  inches.  The 
shoots  formed  after  this  may  be  reduced  in  summer  to  five  or  six,  or  in 
winter  to  that  number,  cutting  them  back  to  the  length  of  about 
4  inches,  the  supernumerary  ones  almost  close,  leaving  only  a  short 
spur.  The  head  must  never  be  allowed  to  become  very  large,  because 
of  the  danger  from  wind.  The  points  of  the  growing  shoots  might  for 
this  reason  be  also  stopped,  if  found  to  become  straggling  during 
summer. 
Currants  may  be  grown  in  many  other  forms,  such  as  the  pyramidal. 
Pyramidal  Currant  trees  are  very  pretty,  but  the  plant  does  not  assume 
that  form  naturally  ;  the  tree  is  long  in  being  formed,  and  it  requires  a 
considerable  amount  of  care  in  pruning  to  retain  the  shape.  They  may 
be  trained  to  trellises  with  good  effect,  and  on  walls — on  north  walls, 
too,  where  feW  other  fruits  will  exist.  Currants  on  north  walls  are 
exceedingly  useful,  as  they  can  be  so  easily  protected  from  birds,  and 
they  afford  a  late  supply — even  as  late  as  Christmas.  I  have  frequently 
observed  in  private  gardens  in  the  country  that  the  crop  of  Currants  on 
the  walls  has  been  much  finer  than  those  on  the  bushes  in  the  open 
quarters.  The  reason  why  I  could  not  well  tell  until  lately,  when  I 
began  to  think  of  the  different  systems  of  pruning  practised ;  those 
trained  as  bushes  are  neglected  as  to  their  pruning,  whilst  those  on  the 
walls,  for  the  sake  of  appearance,  are  regularly  spurred  in.  This  system 
I  shall  now  attempt  to  describe. 
Having  the  cuttings — Irish  cuttings,  i.e.,  rooted,  and  two  years  old 
— ready  to  plant,  in  the  market  gardens  they  are  planted  in  lines  6  feet 
