DDDDDDDDDDDaDDaaDDannDDDDDDDDDDD 3 n 3 a 3 D ^ ,< ol r%4T rSi m D a 7- ^i\yti /q' ^ n 3 •5> ^^i^yjff ^ a 3 3 ''^^?!-»*' D D 3 D 3 D 3 D n n UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS □ D a n LIBRARY D D D D 3 D O n n D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D O D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D a D D D D D D D D D D □ D a D D D D D D Q a D D D D D D DDDDDDDnDDDDDnDDnDDDDDDDDDDaDDDD LIBRARY [The Gabdbn. Jan. 2. i.sn2.] "- TMB.-CiARrEK 1 Jan-. 2 ISE'G. Jan. 2, 1892.] [The gIrden. ii,IhI;stt^at£^d w£;ekIhY joui\NaIh HORTICULTURE IN ALL ITS BRANCHES, FOUNDED DY W. Sobhison, Author of" The Wild Garden,^' " Enylish Flower Garden," .J'C. " You see, sweet maid, we maiTy A gentler scion to the wildest stock ; And make conceive a bark of baser kind By bud of nobler race : This is an art Which does mend Nature, — change it mthor ; but The art itself is nature.'* Sliakespcure. VOL. XL.-CH Rl STM AS, 1891. LONDON : OFFICE: 37, SOUTHAMPTON STREET, COVKNT (lAKDEN, W.C. The Garden.] [JA^-. 2 18f2. TO THE MEMOIIY OF GEORGE FRANCIS MILES THE FORTIETH VOLUME OF "THE GARDEN" |s bjbicatcK Per G It v.-^t-a W. E., Januanj, 1892. i<^^ ^\ COSMOS BIPINNATUS .Tax. 2, 1892 J TTTE GARDEN INDEX in^IDIEX. TO ■VOXjTJnVLIB 2^Xj. tUluBtrations in Italics.) Abelia rupestris, 301t, 436 Abies excelsa, 360 ; pungens glauca, 415 Abi-i.nia cycloptera, 339 Abntilon Darwini, 293 ; insigne, 293 ; stria- tum, 293 ; venosum, 293 ; vexillariiim, 293 ; rexidaritim, 293 ; vitifolinm, 293 Abutilons in the open ground, 249 ; various, 293 Acacia, the, 504 ; urophylla, 532 Ac*na mtcrophj'lla, 2^6 Acalyphaa, 407 Acantholinion venustum, 112 Aranthvs Uttifolivs, 274 ; moUis, 287 Acanthuses, 274 Acer ginnala, 344 Achimenes, 73 ; and Gloxinias, 420 ; tubiflora, 112 Acineta densa, 190 Aconituni Browni, 275 ; japonioum, 896 Acrosticlium aiu'euni, 57if Actii-a spicata, 2b7 Actiniopteris rudiata, 413 Adenandras, 132 Adenuphura liliifolia, 582 Adiantop.sis r.^diata, 413 Adiantum affine, 130; ixsarifolinm, 17S ; bellum, 413 ; cunuaturo, 130, 360, 302 ; €i'naf(nn, 3i)2 ; cxcisum, 130; farleyuiiKc, 2!)(i; forniosum, 130 ; Ghicsbrci^liti^ 131; glaucophj-Uum, 413; gracillinium, 131; hispiduhim teuellum, 413 ; macruphyllum, 131 ; palmatum, 271 ; Parishi, 189 ; peda- turn, 94, 131 ; peniviauum, 131 ; radiatum, 413; tenerum, 131; tetraphyllum gracile, 413 ; trapeziforme, 131 ; Williamsi, 131 Adiantums, 418,578 ^Echmeas, 557 Aerides crassifolium, 333 ; Lawrence*, 303, 563 ; Sanderianum, 403 ; virens, 248 ; virens Ellisi, 5t iEsculus californica, 49*; glabra, 498; ira- crostachya, 498; octandra, 497; parvifolia, 498 ; Pavia, 498 Agave americiina variegata in bloom, 297 Allamanda Hendersoni, 362 ; Ilendentoni, 4ti;i ; Williamsi, b7, 559 Alhimaiidas, 4t)8 Alni..nd tree, the, 540 Almondsbury, notes from, 9 Alocasias, 407 Alyssum serpyllifoliimi, 24 Amaryllis bulbs, gi-xibs in, 433 Amaryllis seed, sowing, 326 America, catalogues to, 503 ; trees and shrvibs in, 213 Amor Yellow-wood tree, the, 159 Amjielupsis Veitchi, 467 Androsace lanuginosa, 287, 303 Anemone baldensis, 251 ; blanda, 583 ; Fan- nini, 536 ; seedling, 275 Anemones, 352 ; Japanese, 231 Angra^cuni articulatum, 248, 333 ; auricula- turn, 232 ; Chailliianum, 536 ; pelluciduni, 403, 484 ; .Scuttianum, 236 AnKultta Uuckeri, 54 Annuals fur seasonable floial arrangements, 144 ; hardy, for pot culture, 133 Anui^'^anthus brevitlorus, 54 Aiithurium atro-aauguincuni, 494 Anthuriums, 375 Autliyllisalpestris, 105 Antinliiuums, V50 I Aphelandras in bloom, 43S Aphelexis macrautha rosea, 73 Apple Adams' Pearmain, 514; Annie Eliza- bbth, 573 ; Aromatic Kusset, 219 ; Atalanta, 454 ; Benoni, 219 ; Blenhe-m Pipi in, 571 ; Braddick's Nonpareil, 219; thelmsford Wonder, 454 ; Court of Wick, 219 ; crop, the, 151, 220, 261 ; Claygate Pearmain, 514 ; Golden Knob, 219 ; Golden Pippin, 21ii ; GoMen Reinette, 219; Grannstciit. 427; Hambledon Deux Ans, 401 ; Kerry Pippin, 219; Lamb Abbey Pearmain, 219, 515; Lord Burghley, 219; lord ti^\lfutd, fruitinfj branch of. 123 ; Mannington Pearmain, 515 ; Mr. Gladstone, 183 ; Pearson's Plate, 219 ; t-am Young, 219 ; Sandringhani, 515 ; Seek- no-further. 219 ; Email's Admirable, 3.0; Summer Pearmain, 515; Sunrise, 263; t/n: Laiip, 427; Thorold's Ptrfection, 414; tnison lawns, 593 ; trees, trained, ^67; irhitf Calriffe, 427 ; Winter Pearmain, 515 ; Worcester Pearmain, 515 ; Wykcn Pippin, 219 Apples, 43; aa bush trees, 458; at Hampton Court, 172; Canadian, 447; Codlin, 123, 172; early, 238; falling, 91; from wall trees, 457 ; good cooking early, 125 ; large early cooking, 330 ; late, 2 ; Pearmain, 514 ; some good dessert, 219 ; some newer, 513 ; Ta&manian, 22 ; two good, for a cold siiil, 4K4 ; wall culture of, 427. Apples and Pears at Ham, 314 ; classitication of, 3iiS ; inGliiuccstcrshiro, 469 Apricots, lifting, 574 Aquatics, dwarf, 119, 165 Aquilegia chrj-santha alba, 22 ; ctcrulca, 22 fi r.chnanthe Clarkci, 334 ; Lowi, 10 Araliain floau", 599 Aralia^, prn|iagation nf, 16 Arauca/ria e-xcelsa at Capt Tf>icn, 415 ; propa- gating, 3S4 Arbutus Unedo Croomei, 417 Arch, a Hoiuf/svci-lc 309 Arches in the garden, 308 Arrhica;/, a clhnhcr-chid rvstic, 23 Aristolochia grandiflora, 168 Aristotelia Macqui variegata, 417 Arnebia echioidts; 24, 70, i03 ; ichioides, 51 Artichoke, the Jerutalem, 66 ; the ichite Jtrfifafeut, 80 Ash, 456 ; the common, 210 Asparagus, 115, 212; beds, formation of, 435; culture and forcing, 463 ; plumotua nanus, 558 ; retrofractus, 341 ; retrofractus arboreus, 419; vertieillaris, 582 Asplenium bifidum, 413; crectum, 413; fcrnandezianuni, 413 ; fuimusum, 413 ; rntii'folium, -113 Aspleniums, 578 Astartea fascicularis, 346 Aster acris, 340; alpinus from seed, 190; cnrdifolius, 337; cordi/olivs rar., 337; cru- natus, 396 ; elegantissimus, 396 ; grandi- tlorus. 453 ; hybndus nanus, 580 ; ibericuF, 346; Lindlcyanus, 189; punctatus, 34i ; sagittifolius, 189; stcUnris, 122; Sloke'e, 335 ; Tradcscanti, 396 Aitfroiria vuijor^ 430 Astrantias, 430 Astilbe Th\niburgi, 137 Aubrielia rosea, 583 Auricula, the, 473 Australia, a vegetable man-trap in, 17 Autumn tints, 436 Azalea odorata, 34 ; viscusa, 65 Azalea?-, inqntrted, 294; lato hoi'dy, 22 AzoUa caroliniana, 184 TIIK GARDEN INDEX r.TAN. 2. 1892. Baden-Baden, notes from, 236, 43i3 Bamboos, 237 B imbusa Rag-amowhki, 30^* Bs,287 CaHI flowering, 86 Csesalpinia japonica, 588 Cal diuni I o is Van Houtte, 159 ; Mme. Leon Fay, 159 CaJandrinarpp si ifol a, 48 1, 556, 580; opjyo- sid/nlia, 485 Calauthe rev com u 3 0;rur uI'"goides, 361; Dominii, Sfil ; masucii, 36i ; nat Icusis, 361 ; pi iochrom ,h*>' ;st iata, 361 ; Veitcli, 385 ; veratrifol a, ;-C0 ; versicolor. 549 Ca^anthes, evergreen, 3 0 ; umI e-lthy, ISO Calceo'aria alpina, 5'; an plexicaulis, 195; Kellyana, 130 ; plantagine , 18^ 5^ Calendula officira is 141 Call as 545 Callicarpa purpurea, 5''6 Callipteris escu'enta, 189 ; micrcdonta, 189; 1 rolifera, 1^9 Callirbo3 alc^eoidcs, .')41 ; digitata, 541 ; involucr ta, 5V1; papaver, 541; r^data, .'■41 ; triingulata, 54L Ca'ochorti, 106, iSO Camellia Sasanq a, 436 Cai ellias in pots out of doors, 371 Campanula alpina. 445 ; baibata, 112 ; cais, i- tosi, 415 ; rarpati a, 445 . oe- isia, 53 ; f a- gilis, 71, 275 ; ga g^-aica, 71 ; grandi-, 75; isophylla alba, 466; 'atiTolia, 1^6; media calycanthema vars., 10; nitida alba, 105; persicifolia 7 ». lv2;Tulla, 64, 445, 460; pusilla, 4l5;pnsilla alba, 76; jn/ramidaf-n, «5 ; pyramidilis, 70, 16-, 505 ; pyramid dis inputs, 228 325, 420; pyr mid dis in the flower garden, 2^2 ; Raineri, 105; rotundi- folia pallida, 137 ; ilic Chimnn/. H5 ; the Ctiimuey in pots, 419 ; Tumma ioiana, 111 ; Zuysi, 63 Campanulas, dwarf, 444 ;in pots, 35 ; in the wild garden, 193 Can ry Creep r, 250 Candytuft, Emprtss, 53 Canna Mme. Crozy 204 Cannas for winter decoration, 241 ; Gladiolus- fiowced, 35 Canterbury Bells 106 Cape Town the Norfolk Island Pine at, 415 Capsicum, black, 142 Card* ons, 323 Carnat on, a curiosity, 556; a good bo- der, ]84 ; Alini Newman, 141; a seed- ling, 111 ; Fair Maid, 232 : Grenadin, 149. 195 ; hoiinc, part of the, at lord Hi/finr/lonx, The Wildtrnes', Sevi ii- alcn, 3'5 : James Fitzpatrick, 190 231, 275; La Neige, 208 ; Lady Huntingtower, 251 ; Lizzie McGow^n. 341; Miss Joliffe, b70 ; Mr. C. R. Htimbert, 20*; Perdila, 232; Q'leenofthe Beddtrs, 141; Eabv Castle 231, 275 ;Sacharissa, 181; .how the, 10'); Souve ir de la Ma'maisou, 183, 387 ; the best yellow, 414; t^e Moor, 2'.0 ; Tree, Morain. 436;what is a garden? 229, 285; Winter Ch' er. 436 Carnt tion and Picotee, the, 308 Carnation Society, an Atueriiian, 479 ; the National, 100 Carnations, 275, 306 ; at Birmingham, 194 ; at Chiswick, 142 ; at Oxford and Birming- ham, 142 ; autumn pljuiting of, 341 ; dis- budding, 209 ; garden, 492 ; in beds, 251 ; layering, 381, 443 ; Malmaison, 324 ; Mar garct, 370, 546 ; new Tree, 48^ ; propaga- tion of perpetual, 327 ; seedling, 232 ; Tree, 144 ; Tree and other, 327; winter- flowering, 318. 524 Carpentaria californica, 36 Carrot fly, the, 85 CaiTots, young, 116, 355 Caryiipteris niastacanthus, 370 Castillcja indivisa, 142 Castles, English, that have always been in- habited, 507 Catalogue, the National Chrysanthemum Society's, 432 Catasetum Bungerothi, 224, 333 ; Bunge- rothi pureum, 54: fimbriatum. 254. 2.0- from Mexico, 10 Cattleya aurca, 41S ; aurei marmorata, 342 ; Behrensiana, ^08 ; Bowringiana, 390, 444 ; calummata, 385 ; Dowiana aurea, 78 ; Eldo- rado crocata, 154, ISO ; Gaskelliana, 78 ; Gaskelliana speciosa, 159 ; gigus, 154 ; gigas S^nderiana, 30 ; grandulosa var. Dyanceana, 254 ; Hardyana, 87 ; Harri- sonise, 31, 2)7; HarrisonijHviolacea, 257, 598 ; intermedia alba, 209; labiata, 333, 403, 4')0. M5; Loddigesi, 232 ; maxima Zollin- geriana, 361 ;Mendeli,3t ; Mossisi.^ alba, 101 ; Mitssife flowers splashed, 78 ; Reincckiana, 78 ; Schilleriana, 10 ; SchnBdera*, 30 ; spc- ciosissimi, 248, 257 ; supcrba, 31 ; Trosc- duriana, 495 ; vclutina, 109 ; Wagonori, loi ; Wagcncri rosea, 31 ; Warocquoatm, 516 CaiiMtlowcr Autumn Giant, 324 ; plants go- ing blind, 212, 260 Caulillijwers, late, and Broccoli, early, 4?1 ; raising, in autumn, 190; two good, 109 CcannthuH HincricanuH, 539; azurous, 539; dciitatuH, 540 ; divarioatus, 540 ; papillosns, 510 ; rigidus, 5l0 ; Vtitchianus, 640; vorru- coHus, 540 CcaoothuHCH, 689 ; in flower, 309 Ccdrus Dcodara, 417 ; I>ctidara coning, 846 Celery, blanching, 375, 463 ; crops, state of the, 336 ; e rthing up, 302 ; late, 170 ; spoilt, 567 Centaurca (yanus nana compacta, 40 ; nja' uh nana tompacta ^'ictoria, 147 ; rutheniea, 196 Cephalaria tatarica 122 Ccrasus myrtifolia 417 Ccreus Alice Wilson 22 < estrum aurantiacum, 59 Cfiamierops Fortunci in a garden at Strcalham, 167 Changes which trees create, 42 Characters, the iuberibmce of acquiiod, 161 Charcoal burniDg, C6 Cheilanthes, 413 ; radiata, 413 Chelonc barbat;i, lOi Cherries, Morcllo, 239, 260; on west walls, 172 Cherry r rop, the, in Kent 29 Ol crry Early Rivers, 152; the M rello, 44; the Winte , 370 ; varieties of the Morcllo, 331 Chervil, 115 Chinionanthus fragrans, 580 ; f. grandiflorus, 507 Cliiroi.ia frutescens, 598 Chiswick, Apples and Pears at 172 ; Pansics at, 22 ; Sweet Peas at, 104 Chiswick (.iardens, 527 Christmas, cut flowers for, 570 ; decorations. Evergreens for, 5t9 Chiysantt emum, a specimen, 644; Achieve- ment, 387 ; Ada Spaulding, 478, 592; Ad- vance, 40); Aidu, 34ti ; Alberic Lundeu, 478, 483 ; Anatole Cordonnier, 555 ; Arthur ( rcpey, 34) ; blooms, variability in, 478; Bolero, 131; Cesare Cost<, 404; Charm- ing 412; Chardonncret, 412; Cleopatre, 40) ; Col. W. B. Smith, 453; D,do-s 592 ; Duchess of Westmiustir, 404 ; E. G. Henderson, 531 ; E. G. Hill, 650, 555 ; Emily Rowbottom, 412 ; Emma Stevens, 412 ; Esperanza, 131 ; Eug&ne Giat, 404; Eurus, 131 ; Excellent, 478 ; Firenzo, 131 ; Florence Dav s, 483 ; Fred Hart, 48 , ; George Dmiels, 544; Gloire de Rocher, 345 ; Golden Star, 478 ; Heniy Perkins, / 50 ; Holborn Rose, 463 ; Ja-^. Dibbins, 478 ; J. H. Bradbury, 477 ; Jas. R. Pitcher, 345 ; J. S. Fogg, 550 ; Lady Brooke, 412 ; L>idy Selborne, 477 ; Lizzie Carl ledge, 550 ; Louis Boehmer, 345, 407, 483 ; Majestic, 405 ; Marquis de Paris, 478 ; Mile. Marie Hoste, 48i Mme ; Desgrange, 340; Mme. Desgrange out of doors, 478 ; ;^Mme. Mezard, 345 ; Mme, F. Mistral, 481 ; Mrs. Alphtiis Hardy, 340, 436, 460 ; Mrs. A Neve, 483 ; Mrs. E. Le- fort, 341 ; Mrs. F. Jam son, 483; Mrs. G. C. Schwabe, 345 ; Mrs. H. Cannell, 339, 404; Mrs. H. Simpkins, 592; Mis. Irving Clarke, 483; Mrs. J. Carter, 5t3 ; Mrs. Libbie Allen, 478; Mrs. Naish, 412; Mis. Nisbet, 407 ; Mrs. Robinson King, 580 ; Mrs. W. Golding, 478; Mrs. Watson, 341 ; Mrs. Wells, 407 ; Miss Bella Wilson, 453 ; Miss Margaret, 405 ; M. Charles Lebocqz, 405; M. Victor Pa' a'lier, i87 ; Mons. R. Bahaunt, 3)5, 407; Nonpareil, 55>; notes, 449, 501 ; Potomac, 131 ; President Hyde, 41\;'Princess Blanche, ^ffoicer.'i of\ 0; Puritan, 483; R. C. Kiogston. 483 ; Rivelyn, 550; Roberc Owen, 556; Russell, ISI ; R. Smith, 407 ; Sallie McClelland, 131; Salvator, 131; seed, 482 ; shows, Feras at, 471 ; shows, notes on northern, 481 ; shows, popu- larising, 553 ; Sibthorpi, 189; So'ur Dorothee Souille, 483 ; 8<:eur Melanie, 4'1 ; Source d'Or, 477 ; Strathmeath, 131 ; Sugar - loaf, 478 ; SuDstt, 346 ; superbum, 412; Temple of Solomon, 479; Thos, Selwood. 550 ; Vico-Pretident Audi- guier, 412 ; Violet Rose. 412 ; Viviand Morel, 346, 404, 483: Wm. Ami Hoste, 41.!; Wm. Lane, 346; W. H. Line In, 340, 345, 483; W. W. Coles, 4S3 ; W. Tricker, 345 Clu-ysanthemum and fruit exhibition ab Edinburgh, 455 Chrysanthemums, ab'-rtivo buds of, 345 ; and earwigs, 258 ; annual, 50 ; as shown, 543 ; at Camberwell, 477 ; cutting back, 477 ; dampii'g of the blooms uf, ;{4i ; De- cember, 592 ; deterioration of Japanc-o, 555; early bloomin?, Ill, 136, 2iS, 339; early-flowering Japanese, 404 ; early, pcdi gi-co varieties . f, 131 ; Stise Dnrdan and B, MnhjneHx. 449 ; English-raised seedling, 303; exhibiting, in America, 654; oxpoii- oncos of the p^st season, 302 ; for bedding, 258; good varieties for walls, 655; gtafteti, 4S3, 607, 531, 555; htiry, 483; )n groups, 4S1 ; in tho ]arks, 346, 409; inferior va- rieties tif incurved, 544 ; in tubs, 0 ; .U- pjiutsc, 483; large Ja]iancHc, 555; late, 9, 644 ; latc-llowcring, 63, 654 ; new and choice Anemone, 402; now and choice, single varieties of, 4Hl ; now (Joutinental incurved, 386 ; new, at the Crystal Palaco, 478 ; new dwarf, 345; new cariy-rioworing, 200; nntos iin exhibiting, 403; O.strich Plume, 477 ; premier blooms of, 653 ; Hcufl nablc, notes on, 803, 412; single, 4S'j; fctHging, 412; too much alike varieties, 5^3 I Chrysogonum virginianum, 505 ' Chysis, f36; aurea, 5:<6 ; bractesce=s, 536; I lajvip, 536 ; Limminghe', 536 i Cibotium Barometz, 178 ; Menzi-ti 17S : re- ; gale, 178; Schiedei, ITS; Wcndlandi, 178 ! Cibo'.iums, 178 I Cirrhojictahim Jledusa*, 460 Cistus cyprius, 137 Citron preseivc, £30 Cladras ris amurensis, 159 Clematis coccinoi, ii97 ; Davidia* a, 251, 307; doublt-tlowercd varijue^ of, 281 ; Dwhest of Edinbv.riihy 281 ; graveolei.a, 3S2 : i tegrifo ia, -ir,\ ; Jackmanni, 2;.0 ; the Hy.ciuth-scented, 251 ; ViticcUa fl.-pL, 229 Clethra alnif lia, 303 Clethras, 307 Clevedon, flowering s' rubs at, 61 Cliant us puniceus, 59 Climbers, anuvial, 4:0; good lardy, 23 Clitoria ternatea, 111 Coccocypselum repcns, 559 Cochlioda Noezliana, 87 Co:;logyne asperata, US; Gardneriba, 503; Massangeana, 510, 580 ; ocellata maxima, 610; Smdcriaua, 102 Coffee disease, 452 Colchester, Lilies from, 597 Colchicum autumnale album plenum, 396 ; byzantinum, 352 ; maximum, i36 C Ichicums, 28ii, 583 Colletia sjiiiiosa, 237 Colutcas ill tluwcr, 540 Common linium, the, 43* Coceflower, the purple, 180, 338 Congress, fruit, 329 Conifer i)lanting, economic, 366, 388, 43', 456 504, 5i2 Conifers, cultivation of, 384 ; dfl-arf, 214 ; m gardens, 4i>7 ; native, 552 ; two poo-, 384 Conscrvati-ry, Musas in a, 208 Convnlvnlus manrit .iiu'iis. 2S1 Copyright illustrations, 400 Coral plant, the, 545 Coral trees, the, 516 Cordons at Rye Satimi, 236 Cordyline indivisa in flower, 136 Coreopsis lanceolata, 196 Cornflower, i ew dwarf, 65 ; the Pigmy, 22 Cornfltiwcrs, 147 ; double, 136 Corn, Indian or Sweet, 301 Cora salad, 115 Coruus brachypoda variegata, 22; canaden- sis, 586 Cornwal', plant life in, 310 Coi-yanthes maculat-a Albertitse, 361 Corydalis lutea, 330 Cotoncaster buxifolia, 539; horizontalis, 354, 639; rotundifolia, 530; Simmsi, 539 Cotoneasters, the smaller, 539 Cottagers' garden produce, 135 Couve Tronchuda, 5 Cover, p ants for, 504 Cratfegus Oxyacantha, 5(0 Crickets in Mushroom house, 10 Crinum brachynema, 346 ; Moorei, 204 ; Mnorci albnui, 158; Powelli, 2Jl Crocus FUisrhori. 336; longiflorus, 505 Crops tliL- fruit, 205, 296. 310 Cros.sbill, dcstruyicg the, 20'J Croton Golden Ki^g, 254 CrotonP, 546; narrow-leaved, 420 Cucumber Matchless, 160 Cucumbers, 177 ; winter, t reparu g, 107 Cuprestus arizonica, 208; Lawsou'ai-a ma- crocarpa, 552; Lawsoniana Silver Queen, 310 ; torulosa, 366 Currant Raby Castle, 348 ; Red Dutch. 3b7 Currants, Flowering, 74 ; Red and White, at Chiswick, 124 Cyariinthus lobatus, 111 (\vclanieii europium, 336 ; porsicum, 40. OyclamcDs, 406 ; hardy beneath tPi.ee, 483 Cycco heschloiochilon, 199 Cydonia Maulef, 127 ; sinensi.s, 127 Cymbidiiuu aftine, 515; Dovonianura. 515; ehurncum. 615 ; elegans, 78, 515 ; Miistcrsi, 515, 580 ; Parishi. 515; pendulum, 564; pulcherrinunn, 540 Cymbidiums. the thin-leaved, 515 Cyi'cn, L'lli ; Mrs. Mcintosh, 208; Mrs. (><;oi-k, 29S ; Mrs. Thornton, 298 ; Mrs. Walter Besant, 29S ; Nellie Maehray, i9S ; I'rincess Christian, 341 ; Rayon d'Or, 29S ; Kobert Canuell, iOS, 2Slj ; Sir Roger, 29S ; .S-. Catherine, 208; .Sulfcma, 298; Swanloy Cactus, 208; Touchsto je, 298 ; William Powell, 254 Uahl as, 3S1 ; Cactus, 229 ; single, 532 ; with- out stakes, 2J2 Dais cotinifolia, 398 Diisy, the Paris, 635 Diisies, notes on Michaelmas, 338 ; three goo I Michat-lmas, 275 Damsoa crop, the, 22 ; wine, 332 Damsons, do they pay ? 401, 512 Daphne alpioa, 2t ; cuurum, 48(5 ; laureola purpurea, 40S ; Muzercum .autumujlis, 4ti8 Dnsylirion lougifolium, 13(3 Datin-a fa tuusa, 4(50 D.vallias, 414, .578 Dell, Orchids at The, 199 Deli)hinium car .iopetalum, 13(j ; Ro'.in Adair, 39; vcstitum, 142 Deli>hiniums, 51 ; mociern, 53 Dendrobiuni Bensouia;, 54 ; Cassiopc, 564 ; ciipreuni, 78 ; formosum var. giganteum, 333. 390; heterocarijum, 495; Leeanum, 4''3; mutabile, 43(5 ; 0'Brieiil.anum, 407; Parish?, 31; Phalpenopsis SchroederiaQum, 4(53 ; P. Statterianum, 157, 38 1 ; i hodo- stoma, 180 ; superb en<, 179, 418, 49> DinustKdtia adiantoides, 413 ; aathris i- folia, 413; cicutaria, 413; d.v.al'ioWes, 413 ; Pavoni, 413 ; piuictilobula, 413 ; stra- niinea, 413 Dennstedtias, 413 Deodar untedthy, 299 Dcsmodium peutiuliflorum, 309, 539 Deutzia, the dciuble, 74 Diaothus Atkinsoni, 136, 16(5, 1S3, 336 ; callizonus, 332 ; capitatus, 52 ; cinna- l)arinus, 10(5, 337 ; Curtisi, 112 ; pluma ins hybridus, 137 ; su^acaulis, 52 Dicentra canadensis, 199 ; chrysantha, 198 ; cuculUria, 109; formos.a, 109; saecata, 190 ; spectabiUs, 190,494 Die ntrds, 198 Dieffenbichi.as, 168 Diervilla sssilifolia, 203 Digging, autumn, 355; and deep cultivation, 588 Dimorphanthus mandschuricus, 303 Dipladeoia atropurpurea, 134 Disa grandlHura, 224 ; g. Backhouse's va- riety, 224 ; g. Edinburgh variet^', 224 ; g. Glasnevin vari ty, 2 !4 ; g. ,St affan va- riety, 224 ; g. on tible Mountiin, 180 ; g. sjperba, 224 ; tripetaloides, 65 Disease, the Potato, 212, 35(5 Dog Daisies, 13 Dogwood, variegated Japanese, 22 Doodiaa Ela;.agaus puDgeus maculatus, 298 Elder, 1.3S ; the A.sh-leavid Box, bSil Elisen^lo •gipot.lla, 110 ; lonti/iclalu, 110 Elm with coloured wood, 42; thg English, 344 ; the Weeping, 600 ; tbe Weeping Wych, 158 ; trees, 410, 4-56 ; trees, louninir 209 11 B. Elmx, supporting, 480; Weeping, 158, 210 Endive, 84 Eomuciin chionautha, 207 Epidandruui id.lilcatuiu, IS4 ; fragrais,403 ; Frederic! (luliulrni, 2.:.7, 403 ; pu.um, 564; Wabisi, 591 ; .xanthinum, 564 Epilohiuml.atifolium, 19ii Equisetumsand Tigridias, 307 Erautliouiual Anderioni, 205; pulchellum 4:i4 Erica cit.erea, 33 Erigeron speciosus, 76 Erodium caiuifolium, 52 Eryngium gigaiteum, 13i5 ; ()livierianiuu, 112 Eryngiums, 287 Brythrina Bidwilli, 517 : erista-galli, 516, 545 ; herb.acea, 517 ; Humei, 617 ; Parcelli, 517 Escallonia exoniensis, 39 ; maerautha, 468 ; Philippiana, 22, 64 Eucharis mite, the, liiS Eucomis palli(iiflora, 308 Eucrypliia iiiuiiatifolia, 159, 539 Euonvojus latif'ilius, 346 Ei'in'l„r:.nn r,imn,n„, 134 Eupatoriunis, 559 Euplnirl>ia capitata, 561 ; j.acquiuiaiflora, 371 ; uiyr^iuites. 297 ; pilosa, 196 Euijliorliias, 241 Europe, Eastern, autuui' al folitge tints in, 466 Euryanaiuni Surnbul, 561 E]vc!f;rccus for Chris mas decorations, 569; trans]tlauting, 174 Exacuni macriuithum, 346 Exhibition stauds, arrangements of cut blooms on, 411 ExhiV)itions, bouquets and epergi.es at, 411 ; judging at, 209 Exuchorda Alberti, 269 Fern, a line Maiden-hair, 111 ; the Killarney, 501 Ferns, 386 ; a.s pla ts for the dii ner table, 577 ; at Chrysanthemum shows, 471 ; conspicuous, 577 : Filmy, 638 ; for the conservator? border, 469 ; in the house, 625 ; Maiden.h.air, 94 ; Mai- den-hair for cutting, 130 ; seasonable notes on, 626 ; seedling, 68 ; small grow- ing, 413 ; some useful, 537 ; Stag's-horn, 295 ; the Hare's-foot, 232 ; Tree, 3o ; water- ing and feeding, 527 Fern ry, the hardy, 678 Ferneries, notes on, 677 Fig trees, 44 ; protection of, m.ade easy, ISO Figs, early, 367 Fir, the Silver, 456 ; the Spanish Silver, 322 ; Scotch, the, .as a timber tree, 410 Firs in a northern aspect, 6O0 Fish, D. T., 233 Flower garden notes, 13, 164, 194, 307, 396, 485, 662 Flower, the Prophet, 303 ; the Wedding, 312 ; the Whorl, 187 Flowers, Eve lasting, for winter use, 266 ; fashionable colours in, 60 ! ; for rooms, cut, 450 ; hardy October, 381 ; in season for vases, 41 ; notes on florists', 431 ; service- able, 121 ; showing hardy, 147 ; wet- weather, 231 ; wild, and Grasses, arrange- ments of, 107 FoJ, effects of, on plan's grown in tlie houses at Kew, 438 Foliage, autumn-tinted, and Chrysanthe- mums, 411 Forestry as a source of pi ofit, 480, 504, 576 ; ex- periments in, 434 ; in Great Britain, 138 ; oruanient.al, 23 1 Forest Hill, Begonias at, 61 Forget-me-not, the charming alpine, 580 Fota, notes from, 136 Foinrnm Beditir/hau^i, 143; eubensis, H3; gignntoa, 143 ; long.T3va, 143 Fourcrceas, 143 Foxglove, the yePow, 196, 2.91, 281, 337, 346 Fr.agaria vesca mu i ata, 352 Frames, plants in, 326 Prance, Japanese Grape Vines in, 571 Franciseeai, 78 Francoa ramosa, 73 ; a$ a j>ot plait t, 241 ; in pots, 241 Fraxinus lentiseifol'a, 310 Freesias, 353 ; .and theii culture. 203 Frogmore, the royal gardens .at, 190 Fruit and tomtits, 330 ; and vegetable com- mittee awards, 19 ; coniirea.ses, 829, 368; crops, the, 139, 180, 225, 245, 270, 334 ; crops, imtimelv thinning of, 1'26 ; culture, 4, 41 ; distribution, 262, 315, 49 >, 530, 573;dry- ing, a Californian grower on, 512; flavour in, 445 ; garden, the hardy, work in, 31, 81, 128, 177, 243, 328, 377, 397, 4.50, 474, .541 ; g.athering, 80, 315; gathering, picking and marketing, 26!; growing diftieultics, 125 ; growing, Mr. Gladstone on, 259 ; grow- ing, profitable hardy, 401 ; home-grown, 238 ; houses, work in, 6, 68, 97, 145, 218, 265, 20O, 811, ,357, 42 I, 480, 8 18, 665, 517 ; Itillian, in London, 232 ; notes, 449 ; orchard house, at Edinburgh, 315; packing, 220; liwn gnass for picking, 280 ; question, the, 91, 172, [ 173, 187; season, the Kentish, 145, 188; show, an international, 433, 460 ; the ripen- ing of, 260 Fruit tree arches, 593 ; walk and Ivy- covered arch, 593 Fruit trees, a run on, 693 ; and bushes, early planting of, 573 ; ,at a disadvantage, 592 ; autumn pruning of, 349 ; extension grow- inf of, 2 ; for a south wall, 299 ; for north walls, 496, £30 ; green and black-fly on, 2 0 ; on outhouses, 572 ; present state of, 259 ; root-pruning of, 2 2; sitis for, 349; sum- mer pruning, trained, 28 ; useless, 594 ; wire netting for, 137, 240 Fruits, hardy, 2i7, 497; neglected, 497 Fuchsia Countess of Aberdeen, 190 ; fulgcns, 420; Gene\al Roberts, 36 ; (Jitural Jt"herU, 462 ; Q'te-.n oj England, 437 ; triphylla, 16 ( Fuch.sias, f86 : garden varieties of, 141 ; in Hyde Park, li2; in 1he open air, 380; notes on, 457 Fungus, sulphate of copper 'as a leniedy for, 64 Furniture, Briti.sh woods for, 1S6 Q. Gaillardi^s, 165 Galanthus Alleni, 272 ; caucasicus, 272 ; c^r- ewensis, 273 ; Elsffl, 273 ; Elwesi, 272 ; flavescens, 273 ; Fostori, 272 ; Fosteri Loo- p.rd, 27^; Fosteri sport, s73 ; Imperati, 272 ; latifolius, 272 ; lutescens, 273 ; nivalis, 272 ; nivalis .albus, 273 ; nivalis fl.-pl., 272 ; octobrensis, 27? ; Olgse, 273 ; plieatiis, 272 ; poculiformis, 273 ; prsecox, 273 ; Rachela), 273 ; Scharloki, 273 ; vire cens, 273 ; Warei, 273 Galax aphylla, 24 Gal. andra Di voniana, 257 Gales, planting to resist, 410 Garde', architectural forms in the, 247; a Burmcs , 129 ; a good rock, 473 ; a Prim- rose, 304; a Primrose in Snr.ei/, 304; a typical water, 633 ; vieir in Hie, at Trrgyl- loir, 237 ; ica'er, a, at E izabelh, Heir Jrrset/, 533 Gardening, learning, 575 Gardens of one flower, 12 ; the Tempi-, 233 ; the Tbam. s Embankmtnt, 232 Gardeni.as, 110, 255, 36.', 546 Gas-lime, 209, 460 Gaultheria procumbens, 539 Genista aurantiaca plena, 70 ; pilosa, 336 ; prostrata, 336 Gentiana acaulis, 5S2 ; Fortunei, 250 ; lutea, 52 ; sep'emflda, 141, 166 ; septemfida azu- re i, 137 ; vtriia, 395 ; verna, 395 Geonoma elegans, 418 ; graci is, 418 ; maero- stachys, 418 ; Martiana, 418 ; Porti.ana, 418 ; Sehottiana, 418 Geononias, 418 Geranium argenteum, 10', 1(>I5, 285 ; hardy white-flowered, 390 ; Wallichianum, 250 Geraniums and Pelargoniums, 558 ; zor.al, 466 Gerbera Jamesoni, 453 Gesneras, 418 Geum miniatum. 579 Gladiolus 4 de li Devansaye, 440; Alice Wilson, 440 ; Bias, 208 ; hvK,antinus, 442 ; Charles Joly, 440; Colvillei, 442; Colvillei The Brid*", 523 ; connnunis, 442 ; Crozy fils, 440; decoratus, 184; Dr. H. P. Wal- cott, 441 ; Eckloni, 346 ; floribuudus, 442 ; Etoili ddr, 441; George .Mfredith, 254; Gil Bias, 440 ; Goliath, 441 ; Harry Veitch, 441 ; Henri Rignault, 440 : Iphigcnic, 440 ; James O'Brien, '208; K^tclecr, 440; Klcbir, 441 ; Lady Brooke, 254 ; a (irand Caroot, 411 ; Leon Simon. 440 ; M.assena, 441 ; Nu6ebleue,440; Ondine,440; Profes-orSar- gent, 440 ; Profusion, 440 ; ps ttacinus, 442 ; ramosus, 442 ; Sir A. Sullivan, 254 ; Tha- lia, 208 ; W. S. Gilbert, 254 Gladioli, flowering time of, 442; hardy, 13; Lemoine's, h.ardy for 1891, 440 GIas.shnuses, painting and cleaning of, 560 Globe Flowers, 102, 164 Gloriosa superba .and G. Planti, 420 Glossocomia ovata, 250 Gloucestershire, Apples and Pears in, 459 G.oxinias, 72 ; fine spotted, (50 Godetia White Pearl, 40 Gomphia decorans, 418 Gongora atropurpurea, 319 Goodyera Dawsoniana, 296 Good King Henry, 356 Gooseberries, 188 ; cordon, 188 ; for flavour and size, 447 Graramatopbylluni Seegeriannm, 78 Grant, Mr W. J., 161 ; accident to, 651 Grape Alnwick Seedling, 448, 459 ; Appley Towers, 232 ; Buckland Sweetwater failing to stone, SO; Chasselas Napoleon, 403; Gros Colman, 233, 286 ; Grns Manic, 350 ; Lady Hiitt, 232; Madresfiold Court, ."194; Mrs. Pince, 279, 428, 458, 63?, 573 ; spot in Muscat of Alexandria, 496 Grapes, colour in, 261 ; Muscat shrivelling, 457 ; stoneless berries in, 15! Grass, a splendid Lily for, 75 ; herbaceous plants oo, 286 Greenhouse plants in summer, 203 ; a rtronp of, in the open air, 203 Greenhouse walls, 371 Greens, winter, 156 I Grevillea alpina, 484 ; aspknifolia, 232 Thflemanniana, 370 Griselinia httoralis, 18, 63 Groimd, wet, trees and shrubs for, 552 Group, three grand flowers for a, 106 (groups, hardy plants in, 296 Grubs injuring plants, 113 Ciiiernsey. a stone slile in, 39 Guenis^y Lilies, 73 (iyniuo^Tainiiia trifoliata, 578 Gypsophila i aniculata, 250 H. Ha.arlcm, liardy wluter-flowcring bulbs at, 661 Habenai-ia carnea, 257 Habrothamuus fasciculatus, 205 Harmanthus, 420 Ham, Apples and Pears at, 314 ; Peaches and Tomatoes at, 125 Hamamelis, the Japanese, 15 Hampton Court, Apples at, 172 Bimtkorn, the enmnion, in hloom, 600 Hazel, the purple, 310 Heehtia Ghiesbreghti, 370 Hedaroma tulipifera. 227 Hedvcliiuiu 1 iiinlucrianum, 236 HelJiiiiuii H.iopesi, 52 Heliautheuiums, 50 Hclianthus multiflorus maximus, 232 ; Soleil d'Or, 231 Heliotrope on a efirenhoute uo.U, 371 Hellebore flowers, 532 Hemerocallis fiilva, seedlings of, 46 Hepatica, the double blue, 286, 635 Herbs, 66 Heriot-W.att College horticultural class, 456 Heuchera sanguinea, 18 Hibiscus esculentus, 532 ; schizopetalus, 144 ; syriacus, 416 Hippophse rhamnoides, 456 Hollies, 237 Holloway, Orchids at, 154 Holly berries, scarcity of, 569 Hollyhock, the, 260, tS2 Hollyhocks from Kelso, 100 ; single, 142 Holmes the Late W., 299 Horminum pyrenaicum, 682 Horse Chestnut, 344 ; the bush, 137 Horticulture, professing the technology of, 409 Hottonia palu-tris, 14 House in garden .at Palazzo Berberigo, V e- nice, 195 Houstonia ccerulea, 250 ; alba, 396 ; serpylli- foha, 260 Humea elegans, 65 Hyacinth, the white Roman, and its culture, 60 Hy.acinths, two useful, for forcing, 595 Hyacinthus candicans, 229 Hyde Park, flowers in, 192 Hydr.angea rosea, 415 Hydrangeas, 237, 498 Hymcnocallis senegambica, 346 Hypericum Moserianum, 208;oblongifoUum, 174 I mpatiens Hawkeri, 547 Inula Hookeri, 297 ; macrophylla, 287 Insects, root-eating vegetable, 242 loehroma lanceolata, 414 Ipswich, an amateur's garden at, 6'.' Iris Bakoriana, 556;cuprea, 122 ; OaleS', 351 ; Gatesi and its allies, 351 ; Histrio, 556 ; Kiempfer's, 120 ; lievigata, 120 ; reticulabi, 682 ; Robinsoni.ana, 312 ; walk at in Palinoi, 206 Irises, Oncocyclus, 394, 429, 486 Isnieuc calatliina, 135 Itea virginica, 137 Ixias as annuals, 53 Ixora Colei, 228 ; macrothyrsa, 341 Jasminum iKilyanthuni, 586 Jerusalem Sage, 75 JubiKi speetabilis, hardiness of, 409,436 Judging, 5'27 July flowers, 120 K. Kalosantlies, 167, 205 ; cuccinoa iuid its varie- ties, 73 , , .. ■ Kent, fruit stealers in, 268 ; the fruit crops in, 4 Kew, Luculifls at, 558 Kitchen garden, work in the, 6, 32, 66, 83, OS, pin 177 200 218, '244, '26(5, ■291, 311, 32., 858] 377,' 397, 4-25, 451,475, 490, 519, 543, 666, VUl THE GAKDEN INDEX [Jan. 2, 1892. Lacfena bicolor, 78 Lachenaliiis, 372 Lacquer tree, the, in Europe, 309 Lmlia albida bella, 495 ; amanda, 495 ; Ames- iana. 444 ; anceps, 616 ;a. Scottiana, 5 '6; a. Stella, 515; crispa, 130, 22t ; Dayana, 5itS ; Domianiana, 495; elegans, a dark-flowered, ISO ; e. Blenheimensis, 208 ; e. Broomeana, ISO; e. Morreuiana, 154; e. prasiata, 199; eximia, 510 ; * xoniensis, 333 ; Gouldi- ana, 598 ; grandis. ISO ; g. teiiebrosa, 54, 248 ; Jlacfartaiiti, 102 ; monophylla, 444 ; Perriiii alba, 342, 403 ; prajstans, 418 ; pumila var. Dayana, 179 ; pur- purata, 404; Wolstenholmiie, 257; san- thiua, 78, 3(51 Lagerstrreniia indica, 327 Langport, flowers from, IS Lantanas iu bloom, 241 Lapageria, hardiness of, 430 Lapagerias f rem seed, 255 ;insectsdestroying, 101, 209 ; white grubs io, 00 Larch, the, 528; for ru^tii work, 410, 450; plantations, thinning, 944; unhealthy, 552 ; value of the common, 3SS ; wood, 42 Larkspur, the old double Siberian, 52 Lastrea fragrans, 414 ; glabella, 414 Lathyrus Armitageanu'^, 52 ;delicatulus, 232 ; grandiflorus, 53 ; latifolius Turneri, 123, 196 ; Sibthorpi, 53 ; varieties, 16 Laurel groicbiu a(/oinst a h luse, 585 ; the Myrtle-leaved Portugal, 417 Laurels, varieties of, 585 Lawn grass for fruit packing, 280 Lawn, the. 352 Lawns, Apple trees on, 693 ; trees for small, 416, 400 ; W(»rm casts on, 2C5 Layias, 53, 142 Leeks, 21 Lettuce, a hybrid, 155 ; and Endive, 393 ; Cabbage v. Cos, 155 ; Cabbage New York, 212, 591 ; Continuity, 401 ; for winter and spring, 115 ; Hicks' hardy Cos, 22 Lettuces, comi^arative merits of, 86 ; notes on, 115 Lewisia rediviva, 5S0 Leycesteria formosa for undergrowth, 552 Libertia formosa, 441 ; grandiflora, 441 ; ixi- oides, 441 ; magellanica, 442 Libertias, 4il Lilacs, species and native habitats of the, 155, 173, 202 Lilium auratum at Heatherbank, 251 ; a. im- ported, 48S ; a. virgina'e, 50 ; Batemannia;, 194 ; Bolanderi, 338 ; Browni, 111 ; candidum, 100, 148,335; c, pot culture of, 204; col- chieum, 75 ; croceum. 75 ; davuricum, 382; Grayi,lll,338;HansoDi,51 ;Harrisi,205,251 ; Henryi, 112,195, 422; Krameri, 119 ; longi- florum, 184 ; 1. var. Chloraster, 112, 338 ; 1., dwarf form, 379 ; 1. eximium var. prsecox, 379 ; 1. e. type, 379 ; 1. foliis albo-margina- tis, 380 ; 1. grandiflorum, 379 ; 1. rubro et argenteo-marginatis, 380; 1. type, 379; I., var., 380 ;1. Wilsoni, 380 ; Martagon album, 335 ; M. dalmatieum, 250, 335 ; neUgher- rense, 303, 530 ; nepalense, 338 ; ochroleucum, 338 ; pardalinum, 335 ; Parkmanni, 190 ; spe- ciosum, 330 ;8. and its varieties, 282, 335,419 ; testaceum, 137 ; tigrinum splendens, 281 ; umbellatum, 17 ; Wallichianum superbum, 335, 363, S95 Lihes, Dr. Wallace on Japanese, 379, 442, 472 ; hybrid, 338 ; in a Gloucestershire ffardtn, 242 ; in the garden, 283 ; some of the newer, 338 Liliuma. 104, 335,442 Lily, a fine Japanese, at Newton Stewart, 483 ; for Grass, a splendid, 75 ; the Guern- sey, 4^21 ; the Orange, 75 Lily of the Valley, early forcing of, 524 ; forced, 545 ; in a wire basket, 406 ; w«tl grown, 545 Limeand its application, 4^0 ; and soot, 589 ; for bulbous plants, 308 ; to soils, the application of, 420 Linaria alpina, 70 Lincoln'H Inn Fie'ds, 479, 503 Linden, the, and its varicticH, 157 LissochiluH Krebsi purpuratus, 494 Litho»j» rmn m proHratam in Miss Ewari'a gar- den lU ton- '/fntrjtt, 473 Lobelia Firefly, 284 Lobelias from seed, 14 London, the weather in, 531 London's open spaces, 22 Lophiola auroa, 137 Lophosoria pniinata, 527 Lovc-lio8-bleudiug for vases, 569 ; Jlowirs oj\ ill a vuKc, 509 Lueulia gratissima, 507 LuculiaM at Kew, 558 Lupinu-i naiUH, 53 Lycatttc eoatata, 333 ; Harrisoniie eburnea, 598 Lyclmls Lagascae, 52; voapertina pi., 123, 515 Lycopodium eemutim,803 Lygodiiun dich'itoiiuuii, 578 Lysimachla thyrsiflora, 112 ST. Macadamia ternifolia, 508 Magnolia glauca, 05, 90 ; pumila, 507 Maidin's Wreath as a pot plant, 241 ; in fots, 241 Mallow, the tree, 415 Malva moscha*a alba, 275 Manchester, fruit congress at, 255 Manetti a plea for the, 339 ; Roses on the, 109 ; the, 389, 5C0 ; the, as a stock, 216, 290 Manna Ash and Judas tree, the, 15 Maple-, JajKiuese, 416 Marigold Orange King, ?87 Marigolds, Afr an and French, 394 ; garden, 76 Market, a new vegetable, 48 J ; garden no'es, 70, 160, 198, 3i!4, 42', 555, 579; gardening and the culture of vegetibles iu Spain, 1"5 Masde^allia Chestertoni, 507 ; cuculla'a, 460 ; Davisi, IS ; macrura, 78, 34d ; r^csmosa, 510; Schlimi, 31 Masdevallias, 385, 598 May and June, herbaceous plants for, 106 Mecouopsis nepalensis, 142 Megasea Brilliant. 488 ; e mpana, 488 ; com- pac a, 488 ; Coralie, ^88 ; crassifolia alba, 488 ; crassifolia nana, 488 ; Crcesus, 488 ; Delia, 4SS; Giant, 48S ; Iris, 4SS ; Magog, 488; Memnon, 488; Progress, 488 ; Puck, 488 ; spathulata, 488 ; Sturdy, 488 Megaseas, 488 Melittis riK-lissn))hyllum, 280 Melon Ea^tnoiCiis'tle, 93; uewsredliug, 160 Melons, '^s. 43 ; dispased, 3 ; late, 44 ; Water, from the United States, 4ti Meniscixmi oligophyllum, 578 Menziesias, 307 Mercury, 366 Michaelmas Daisies, .'182, 505 Michauxia campanuloides, 119 ; caiiipunv.- loidi'S, Jlotririiig shoots o/\ 119 Mlcrolepia scabra, 579 Micromeria rupestri.s, 582 Mignonette, 134, 327 ; in pots, 547 Milton Park, 391 ; viae inthe v,ids at, 391 Miltonia Bliuiti var. Lubbersiana, 254 ; Candida, 2?4 ; Clowesi, 224 ; cuneata, 224; Peefersiana, 2.'4 ; Phalienopsis, 223; Eegnelli, 224 ; Regnelli purpurea, 154 ; Roezli, 223 ; spectabilis, 223 ; s. Moreliana, 24S ; vexillaria, 223 ; Warscewiczi, 224 Miltonias 223 Mimulus compactu', 165 ; cupreus Prince Bismarck, 40; Lewisi, 141 Mit 'hella repens, 251 Moehringia muscosa, 535 Monarda didymi, 11?, 250 Moneywort, the Tariegated, 130 Montbretia crocosmiaeflora, 442 ; Pottsi, 187 Montbretias, 250 Morina Wallichi, 184 Morisi* hypogiea, 244 Mormodes buccinatum aureum. 254 ; par- dinum, 10, 334 Mulching and watering, 131 Mulleins, 284, 335 Musa Baajoo, 264, 557 ; Bayoo, 557 ; Ensete, 263 ; superba, 264 Musas, cool house, 318, 341 ; for the conser- vatory, 263 ; In a ronservatori/^ 203 Muscari botryoides album, 582 Muscats failing, 3 Mushroom beds, outdoor, 176 Mushroom house, ci'ickets in, 19 Mushrooms failing, 55, 376 ; iu meadows, ?01 ; in the open air, 164 ; salt for, 5 Mua'c, a new, Itii ; plan*:, the, 561 Mylea Memorial Fund, 409 Myosotia alpestris, 580 N. Narcissus fly in Vallota bulb', 343 Narcissus canariensia, 550 ; monophyllus, 55 J ; the white Hoop-petticoat, 204 Navclworts, 150 Nectarines, ft ood early, 152; highly uoloiu-ed, 18S ; noten on, 309, 400, 42S, 416 Nemophila insignia, 382 Nephrodium abortivnm, 537 ; articulatum, 537 ; eyathcoidea, 537 ; Hookeri, 537 ; mollo corymbiferum, 537 ; mi)lle polydactyla, 537 ; pteroides, 537 ; Rodigasiauum, 537 ; acrra, 537 ; truncatum, 537 ; vmitutn, 537 ; vouuattiQi, 537 Xephrodiunis, select, 637 ' Nephrolepia, 578 ; pluma, 290 Ncriue sirniensis, 421 Ni-rines, 73, 419 ; new, 304 N'i;rtcra depreasa, 319 Nidvdar uin jicanthncratoi, 43S ; fulgens, 43S ; Innoconti, 43S ; Laurenti, 4'JS ; Mcy- eiidorft, 43S ; Seherumetiewi, 4"S ; spcu tt- bilc. 438 Nidulariuma, 438 Notholaiiia ferruginea, 04 ; hypolouca, 94 ; l.'ovis, 94 ; rufa, 94 ; ainuata, 94 ; triclioma- noidcs, 94 Notholionas, 94 November, the garden iu, 484 Nursery, stocking the homo, 186 Nurseries, tree, on estates, 410 Nurserymen's art, 365 Nut tree, the Australian, 568 Nymphaias, tropical, in the open air at Ber- lin, 50 Oak, the Californian Li^e, 95 ; the Cork, 96 ; the Golden of Cyprus, 95 ; the Live, 96 ; the Scarlet. 507 ; the Wi low, 366 ; timber, selectiug, 00 ; trees pruning, 52S Oaks, Evergreeo, 95 Oakwood, notes from, 103, 104, 392, 561 Obituary— Anderson Anderson, J., 599 Balfe, A., 575 Dickson, A., 599 Gla scoc, H., 433 Hardy, A., 527 Haynald, Cardinal Archbishop, 65 Hoffmann, Dr., 433 Knight, Mrs. H., 233 Kramer, F., 5 3 Macleay, Sir G. 19 Meston J. F., 185 Miles, P., 65 Miles. Mrs. G, T., 209 Ochropteris pallens, 526 Odontoglossum, a supiMsed natural hyb id, 454; Coradinei, 516; cordatum, IS ; cris- pum, 596 ; crispum macrospilura, 536 ; eugenea, 224; excelleus, 31 ; gloriosum, 495 ; gi'dnde, 319 ; Hunnewellimum, 563 ; Lindeni, 495 ; mulus Holfordianum, 78 ; Reichenheimi, 494 ; Rossi albens, 418 ; Schlieperianum, lii4 ; tripudians, 530; vexillarium supe'bum, 102 Odontosoria fumarioides, 57S ; oculata, 578 ; tenuifolia, 578 Odontosorias, 578 0?)nothera Lamarc', i;92. 312, 3?9, 337, 357, 398, 425, 462, 490, 618, 642, 566, 588 Orchisf'diosa, 179 ; foliosa, 501 Oi-phium fru escens, 298 Orton Hall, Conifers at, 410 Osier cultiu*e, 138 Oswego Tea, 112 Ourisia coccine , 605 Outhouses, fruit trees on, 572 Oxalis lobata, 505 Ozothamnus rosmarinifolius, 640 P. Prtjiny Mme. Emilie Galle, 39 Pi^uiy, Tree, 500 Palace, the Alexandra, 5' 3 Pahna-Ohristi, 579 Palms, Fan, 167 ; stovo, 559 Pandanua Veitchi, 420 I'ansy Aberconi Gem iu November, 507 ; Beauty, 76 ; Blue Cloud, 7*^ ; Bronze Modal, "0; Bullion, 70; Cnttago Maid, 7<> ; Dawn of Day, 76 ; Ida's Choice, 70 ; Max Kolb, 70 ; Mrs Grant, 7ii ; C^ueen of Scots, 70 ; Vernon Lee, 76 ; Violetta. 504 ; Wonder, 76 ; York and Lanciister, 7(i Pansicn at t'hiswiek, 22; tufted, 840 ; propa- gaimiuf. 193 Papavir alpinum, 24 ; bracteatuni, 25; pile- sum, 62 Parcel post, sending plants by, 433 Park timber, thinning, 114 ParVs, music i 1 the, 118; tree planting in, 20 Paroehwtus commuuie, 396, 505 Parsley forVinter and spring, 421 ; in small pots, sowing, 32 Parsnips, 462 Pa^ithea ccerulea, 137 Pflssiflora crerulea, 631 Paullinii thahctri folia, 30 Pavia macrostichya, 209 Pea Boston Hero, V13 ; Chelsea Gem, 22 ; English Wonder, 269 ; Exouian, 22 ; new early, 21 ; Sequel, 170 ; Success, n^w late, 401 ; the sugar or edible-podded 109 Pea, Sweet, Lady Penzance, 87 ; Mrs. Eck- ford, 87 ; Venus. 87 Peach case, a profitable, 81 Peich Hale's Early, 18 ; stones splitting, 113, 173 Peach trees, cleaning, 529 ; in i»ots, 187 ; scale on, 350 ; summer pruning, 92 ; the yellows in. 188; unhealthy, 299; whea to move, 220 Peaches, 26S ; and Tomatoes at Ham, 125 ; curious falling of, 219 ; good, 279 ; late ou*- door, 332 ; packing, 4, 4)( P. as, early, 5, 87, 108, 521; late, 17f., 323, 356 ; second early, 55 Peas, Sweet, 104 ; at Cliiswick, 164 ; new, 77; seedling, 04 Pear Beurre Clairgeau, 484, 573 ; Benrre Diel, lateness of, 673 ; British Queen, 497 ; Brock- worth Park, 402 ; Comte de Lamy, 574 ; Early Duchess, 241 ; Flemish Beauty, 401 ; Glastonbury, the, 447; Jules d'Airolles, 280; Marie Louise, 279, 513 ; M:u-ie Louise d'Uccle, 350; notes, 496; Pitmaston Du- chesa, 171; fitnitiston Di'cln.-s, a fruiting branch of, 171 ; White Doyennti, 330 Ptar tree. JaraontU*, on a house, 572; Mnric Louise, i,} the oardi n at Stn\ff'aii Houm, 513 Pears, 28, 367, 4*i8 ; and Apples at Chiswick, 172 ; and Plums, cordon, 92 ; and tomtits, 180; flavour io, 514 ; large r. small, 448; packing, 368 ; protecting late, 348 ; pro- tecting, from birds, 467; tome good early, 34S ; some, on the Quince, 280 ; standard, for Britain, 530, 574; ihe newer, 402; the ripening of, 330 Pelargonium Duchess of File, 418 ; Ivy-Uaf, Beauty of Castlehill, 87 ; Raspail Improved, .'95 Pelargoniums, Ivy-leaved, 135, 229 ; and Gera- niums, 668 ; repotting, 421 ; acented-leavcd, 371 ; hhow and fancy, 36?, 400 ; winter- flowering zonal, 3f3, 647 ; zonal, in autumn, 421 Peutstemon barbatus, 141; eordifolius, 141 ; puniceus, 303 ; the bearde*!, 250 Peperomias, 3i7 Perennial '! what is a, 353 Perennials, hardy, 149 f'-n,.>l« r-,th i'-h>h iitits, 191 Pergolas or creeper- covered walks, 191 Pest, a destructive garden, 137 Peti'ocoptis Lagascie, 52 ; pyreiijica, 62 Petunias, 195 Phajus, a new hybrid, 40O ; macvdato-grandi- folius, 453 " Phala?nopsis diseased, 5 57 ; house, section of, 403 ; Lnwi, 402 ; violacea, 319 Pi iladelphus corouarius, VS9 ; Gordonianus, 289 ; gi-andiflorus, 289 ; f/r«/u^;/fon/.f, 2^9 ; hirsutus, 2'9 ; Leoaointi, 74 ; microphyllus, 65, 289 ; Satzimii, 289 p£jilesia buxifolia, 168 Phh.mis frutico.sa, 75 Phlox CouutEss of Aberdeen, 184; Drum- mondi, semi-double white, 13 PHoxes, gi'ubs destroying, 551 ; herbaceous, 147 Phoenix, 522 ; acaulis, 523 ; canariensis, 622 ; farinifera, 523; rtcHnata, 522 ; sjlvestris 522; tenuis, 522 Pha'uocoma prolifera Barnesi, 72 Phygeliua capensis, 430 Phyllocladus trichomanoides, 36 Pbymatodes, 271 ; albo-squamatji, 271 ; uH>o- s'/uamata, 271 ; incurvatfl, 271 ; leiorrhi.^ii, V71 ; longissima, 171 ; nigiescens, 1:71 ; pel- tidea, 271 Physalis Alkektngi, i70; notes on, 414 Picea orientji'is, 600 ; Pinsapo, 322 Pieris formosa, 96 Pilumna nobilis, 597 Pine, the Austrian, as a timber tree, 234, 2-8; Nor/elk- Island, at Cape Toirn, 415; the Umbrella, 388 Pink Mrs. W. M. Welsh, 70; Snowdrop, 273 ; The RectMr, 40; the zoned, 332 Pinks and Pansies, 337; border, 70 ; laced and border, at Wolverhampton, 104 ; the nuile, 193 Pinus excolsa, S8S Plane trees, the, 628. 662 Plant, a disappciu-ing British, 77 Plant houses, work in, 7, 32, 57, 82, 97, 127, 14's 17S, 201, 24% 292, 310, 328, 860, 878, 39S, 424, 4ri2, 474, 491, 517, 642, 505, 680; pvi'amid, 293 Plaiititions, draining, 20 ; forming now, 42 ; tliinning, 00, 1S8 ; trenching new, 1 14 Planting, 4i'.8 ; crowded, errors of, 21 ; eco- n..mii- Conifer, 434, 504; effects of deep, 347 ; evils of mixed, 138 ; ormmiental, 66; shallow r. deep, 322 Jan'. 2, 1892.] THE GARDEN INDEX IX Plants and borders, herbaceous, 488 ; arrang- ing, for the winter, 523 ; bulbous and tuber- ous-rooted, in baskets, 407 ; fly and mag- got on, 130; grubs injuring, 113; hardy, notes on, 24, 59, 122, lOtN 19ii, 285, 336, 35 ', 39ii, 48t^, 582 ; lime for bulbous, 308 ; plant- ing herbaceous, 562 ; sending out poor, 365 ; staking hardy, 147, 166 ; two fine- foliaged for subtr pical gardens. 307 ; two useful autumn-flowering, 303 ; useful for autumn and early winter, 363 ; washing the roots of, 562, 579 ; wet weather, 284 Phis, notes from the, 354 ; herbaceous border, pirt of, at the, 581 Platycerium, 602 ; Wallichi, 501 Platyceriums, 2t»5, 501 Platycodon Mariesi majus, 137 Platyloma atro-purpurea, 471 ; Brownl, 471 ; calomelanos, 472 ; cordata 471 ; falcata, 471 ; flexuosa, 471 ; rotundifolia, 472 Platylomas, 471 Pleione bi manica, 495 ; leaves infested with red spider, 257 ; maculata, 563 ; white- fluwered 564 Pleionea with Icives and flowers, 311 Pleroma elegans, 558 PJuin, Brahy's Green Gage, 414; Dymond, 370; Guthrie's Late Green, 447 ; McLaugh- lin's, 220 ; 8t. Etienne, 160 ; the Ogdeuaud uther Japanese, 314 ; white Magnum Bo- nvmi, 332 Plums, dried, 314, 350; in pots, 260; late, 316, 459 Plums on south walls, 92 Plumb;igo capensis, 2iS ; coccinea, 371 ; rusca coccinea, 420 Podophyllums, 583 Poinsettia pulchtrrima, 595 Poinsettias. 363 Polygala Chamifbuxus purpurea, 336 Polygi'uum aftine, 142; alpimun, 24; Bru- nonis, 232 ; cuspidatum, 286 ; sphpero- stachyum, 306, 396 Pontederias in t^e Botanic Gardens, 303 Poplar, the Golden Canadian, 4J4 ; the Weeping, 300 Poppy Mallows, 540 Popi>y, the blue Himalayan, 142 Populus grandidentata, 300 Potato, a new early, 116 ; blight, prevention, 476 ; Chiswick Favourite, 435 ; Gov nt Garden Perfection, 393 ; crop, the, 84, 109, 155 ; Magnum Bonum, 323 ; prospets, 5i3S ; The Br-ice. 243 Putiitoes, 301, 3:24, 37*^, 435, 590 ; and diseise, 301,591; at Chiswick, 288; in 1891. 622; keeping sweet, 503 ; late, 324 ; lifting early, 86 ; seed, 531, 590 ; seed selecti g, 17i"i; when to lift, 116 Poteutilla dubia, 24 ; fruticosa, 202, 231 ; hip U'lides, 251 ; nitida, 105 PotentUlas, 1S4 Primrose, Lamxrck's Evening, 111; the double, 306 Primuli Forbesi, 55'i ; imperialis, 266 ; Pois- soiii, 354 ; rosea, 479; scotica, 105;skkl- mensis, 336 ; sikkimensis as an aquatic, 316; suffrutescens, 52 Primulas, alpine, 286 ; double, 466 Krize giving, 503 Prophet Hower, the, 51, 76; Pr phU Floirfr, tht; 51 Prosaptias, 501 Protea longiflora, 390 Prunella grandiflora, 111 ; Webbiana, 39 Pruning in summer, 3. 151, ISS, 280, 350 Prunus Pissardi, 141, 297, 310 Pteris geranifolia, 413; involuta, 413; pe- data, 413 ; scaberula, 413 ; serru'ata pen- dula, 87 PterostjTax hispidum, 74 Public Gardens— Accrington, public park for, 209 Alexandra Palace for the people, 387 Bishop s Meadow, Fulham, 113 Biiurnein-mtli winter gardens, 113 Bri^litnii Improvements, 65 Broekwcl! Park, 575 Che'.se'a Unspital Gardens, 19 Clerkenwcll, "pLn ^■] aces at, 209 Clissold Park. pr>Ji"ised addition to, 365 Dover, recreation groinid for, 343 Epsom, recreation gi'ound for, 313 Farringdon Market and open spaces, 341 Fulham, proposed open space at, 19, 118 Grays, recreation ground at, 387 Greenwich Park, 365 Grosvenor Park, Chelsea, trees and shrubs in, 416 Ground, a new recreation, 113, 527 Highburv Fields, 113, 575 Hilly Fields, Brockley, 387,575 Hyde Park entrance, proposed new, 527 Imi>n'vement, a Wandsworth, 113 Kirk^tall Abbey, 65 Liucolu's Inn Fields, 343, 527, 551, 599 London playing fields, 527 Newcastle and its parks, 343 Open spaces, new, 551 ; in the metropolis, 65 Paisley, munificent gift to, 365 Park, anew London, 365 Park at Belfast, opening of, 161 Parliament Hill, gulf on, 113 Plants, distribution of bedding, 343 Pubhc park at Consett, 65 Raveuscourt Park, 19, 527 Royal Victoria Gardens, North Woolwich, 3S7 St. James's Parish Churchyard, Clerken- well, 19 St. Pancras Gardens extension, 65 ; an- other open si>ace for, 365 Tooting Bee Common, 599 Vauxhall Park, 321 Waterlow Park, 113, 25'-, 321, 387, 479 West Wickham Common, 343 Pyrethi-um uliginosum, 307 Pyrola macuhita, 166 Pyrus Maulei in fruit, 4S3 Queen's Nursery, Cheltenham, Orchids at, 464 Quercus acuta, 95; agrifolia. 95; alnifoli*, 95 ; adiifolia, 95 ; cerris fuDiamensis, 95 ; chrysolepis. 95 ; coceifera, 95 ; coccinea, 507 ; cuspidata, 95; densiflora, 95 ; glabra, 95; gl'ndnlifera, 95, Ilex. 93; Phellos, 366 ; philljTffoides, 96 ; Robur cuprea, 203 ; Suber, 96 ; virens, 96 Quince, some Pears on the, 280 ; stock, best soil for the, 502, 572 Quinces, the Japanese and Chinese, 126 Radishes w'nter, 197 Railway bants, 11 ; embankments, planting, 600 Ran, heavy, and tte fruit crops, 261 Rani' n-^ias, 304 Rap' iolepis dvata, 237 Raspberry prospects, 19 Raspberries 448; a note on, 93; planting, 4i7 ; summtr and autumn. 45 Rats robb ng Apple trees, 448 Regent's Park, flowers in the, 303 Renanther.t coccinei, 417; L',wi, 417; ma- tutina. 417, 491 ; Rohaniana, 418 Renantheras, 417 Rhex'a virginica, 307 Rhipidopteris pel'ata, 413 Rhr>dodendron Ceres. 298 Countess of Had- dington, 71 ; Countess of Haddington, 71 Rhod)dendr.«ns in bloom, 318 ; the Java hybrid. 523 Rhopaloblaste hexandra, 453 Rhus Cotiuus, 49S Ribes alpinutn pumilum am-eum, 75 ; avu-an- liacum minus, 75 ; aur^iuu, 76 ; a. flavTim, 75; carneum gran iiflorum. 75; Gord-in'- auum, 74 ; sanguineum, 74 ; s albidum, 74; s. atrii-rubens, 74; s. atro-sanguineum, 74; s. fl.-pl.,74; s. glutiuo3UQi, 74 ; specio- sum, 75 Richardia jethiop ca c^mpacta, 407 Ricinus eomnmais, 579 Ripening the wood cf fruit trees, 238 _Rivina humilis, 35 Robin'a semperflorens, 74 Rochea falcata, 16 Rockets, double white, 12 Romneya Coulteri at Birmingham, 22 R>>ndeletia speciosa, 55S Ro -ts clubbing, 527 ; of plaato, washing the, 579 ; taking up and storing, 324 R sa Brunoniana, 113 ; Grevillei, 38 ; minima, 106 ; polyantha, 37, 64 ; rugosa, 307 Roseola sikkimensis, 301 Ro=e, a new single, 22; a noble \vild, 1(^9; Amazon. 548 ; amateur's, ilassificatiou ■ f, 5'J6 ; Anua Olivier, 548 ; Augustin « Gui- noisseau, 440 ; Bar ness Rothschild. 47, 101 ; BaroinsM Kot/.WiiUl, 47; Bla che Moreau, 49 ; Bruce Find ay, 440 ; Canirjens, 321 ; Caroline d'ArJen, 210 ; Cat erine Mermet, 518 ; Charles Gater, 159 ; Claire Jacquier, 440 ; Cleopatra, 330, 439 ; Climb- ing Niphctos, «. 169, 3:U ; Comtesse de Fr'gneuse, ffS. 518; C mtesse Riza du Pare, 548 ; Corinua, 410; Crimsi n Globe, 69 ; Crown Princess Victiria, 440 ; Dr. Grill, 339, 548 ; Duchesse d'Auerstadt, 216; Ernest Me-z. 4 9, 5)9; Erinnur.mg au meine Mutter, 68 ; Fortune's Yellow, 169: Fraucisca Kruger, 548: fruits. 489; Garland, 489 ; Gloire de Margottin, P9 ; Gustave Piganeau, 440; Hon. Edith Gif- ford, 648; Inn ctnt^ Pirola, 548; J. B. Varonne, 321 ; Jean Docher, 38, 548 ; Jan Pemet, 548 ; Jeannie Dickson, 440 ; Jeanne Guillaumez, 440 ; Jules Fioger, 548 Rose Kai=erin Fr'eirich, 67, 216, 440; Lady Castlereagh, 321 ; Lady H. Gr- svenor, G\^ ; L'Ideal, 170 ; Luciole, 38 ; Ma Capucine, 170; Mme. Berard, 169; Mme. Chedane Guinoisseau, 170 : Maiden's Blush, 47 ; Mar^chal Niel in Lincolnst ire, 236 ; Marie Van Houtte, 547 ; Marquise de Vivens, 54'i ; May Rivers, 321, 439 ; Medea, 439 ; Mile. Adelina Viviand Morel, 440 ; Mme. Angele Jacquier, 48 ; Mme. Barthelemy Levet, 216 ; Mme Car- uot, 4i0 ; Mme. Charles, 548 ; Mme. Cbauvry, 216 ; JIme. de Tartas, 321 ; Mme. Lambard, 320. 547 ; Mme. Moreaii, 4i0 ; Mme. de Wattevil'e, 548 ; Mme. Eu- gfeue Verdier, 216 ; Mme. Host , 439, 548; Mme. Joseph Godier, 2 5. 290; Mme. Pierre Guil'ot. 439 ; Mme. P. Perny, 69 ; Mrs. James Wilson, 4'-9 ; Niphetos, 548; notes, 389; n>'n.t on a iro.U, 215; Safrano, 548; Salamauder, 440 ; Sapiho, 235 439 ; schedule, Mr. Grahame's proposed, 216; sea- son, the past, 358 ; Sombreuil, 69 ; Souvenir d'Elise, 290 ; Souvenir a'Ehse Vardon, 549 ; Souvenir de Gabrielle Drevet, 49 ; Souvenir A'i la Malmaison, 117; Souvenir da ma M&re, 68 ; Souvenr de Paul Neron, 8, 549 ; Souvmir de P. A. Prince, 290, 439 ; Sou- venir d'un Ami, 548 ; Souvenir de Victor Hugo, 649; Spenser, 69; stocks, 48, 235; Sunset, 548; The Bride, 548; the Oarland, 489 ; ihe Himalayan, 113 ; the Seven Sisters, 38 ; The Queen 439 ; Viscountess Folkestone. 321 ; Waban, 440 ; White Lady, 69 ; Wliite Perle 440 R"se S-ciety, the. National, and its exhi- bitors, 68, 118, 170, 236 Rosebery Avenue, the trees in, 503 Roses, a chat about, 29 ' ; among the, 117 ; am' ng the, in August, 216; among the, in September, 289; and GladioU, 117; at Christmas, 26IS ; at Waltham Cross, 9^ ; budding, 389; classifiotion of the, mys- teries of, 117 ; climbhig and other, 99 ; climbing in winter, 506; climhlmj ovtr a doorirai/,i\9 ', cUmbingTea, 541* ; deformed, 8 ; Duchesse d'Auerstadt and Henriette de Beaiveau, 8 ; for arches and pillars, 4 9 ; f r autumn flowering, 432 ; for button- holes, 49; for present plant ng, 439; for profit, 150 ; garland, as bushes, 183 ; gar- den, 67 ; Guillot's, 3^9 ; how to plant, 359 ; Hybrid Perpetual, in pots, 48 ; Hybrid Tea, 47, 390; Japant se, 359; mildew among, 215; Monthly, 67, 150. 378; Moss. 101; Nabonnand's, 118 ; new , at the Crystal Palace, 68 ; on Manetii, 167, 236 ; » n wal's, 8, 117, 169, 2!5; ordeiiug, 216; pegging down, 37 ; planting Tea, 547 ; rambling, 38 ; some useful la'e flowering, 2roviridi% 359 ; ciliata, 385 ; concinna, 386 ; cou- ferta, 3.i9 ; convoluta, 385 ; delicatissima, 385 ; erythropus major, 360 ; Galeottei, 385 ; grandis, 360; hsmitodes, 360; Kraussi- ana, 575 ; Lobbi, 359 ; Martensi, 385 ; pili- feia, 385; rubella, 386; rubricavdis. 38 • ; sarmentosa, 385; serpens, 3S5 ; uncinata, 3S6 ; viticulo;a, 359 ; VogeU, 360 ; Walhchi, 359 Sflaginellas, dwarf -growing, 385 ; tall-grow- ing 359 Senecilis carpaticlila'na pcandens, 578 Stenuglottis longifoiia, 236 Sttps III Misi Eicai't'n f/ardt]i at Comi/hnrst, 476 StUe, a Ouertise)/ stone, 38 Stob»a purpurea, 196 Stock Mauve Beauty, 251 Stocks, 149 ; summer, 24 ; Ten-week, 327 Stokesia cyanea, 335, 430, 437, 480 ; for pots t90 THE GAKDEN INDEX [Jan. 2, 18r2. Etr.wbrry, th-^, 29; beds, endurance of, li3; biid-s old, 94; British Queen, Ul, 171 ; crop, the, '^s ; he'ds, the, on the Dee, •20 ; Gunton Park, ^^8 ; Lord Suffield, 8S ; notes, 2i, 121; plants, selected, 01 ; Presi- dent, 73 ; seasou, the, 4ti ; the earliest, 44 Strawberries, 92 ; autumn treatment of, 3Tis reniformis, 5S2 T. Tacsonia exoniensis, 297 Tamarisk, the, in bloom, 03 Tasmania, fruit growing io, 331 Taxodium distichum, timber of, 480 Tecomacapensis 31S; Smithi, 507 TelcBia speciosissima, 280 Temperatures. 505 Thuj* gigantea for economic Conifer plant- ing, 504, 675 Thunbergias for the greenhouse, 204 Thrirspermum Berkeley!, 510 Tigridias, 240; and Equisetums, 307 Tillandsi I a'gentea, 624; argciUea, 524 Tillandsias, 557 Timber, ereosoting. 114; felling, lime for, 102 ; qualities of, 210 ; value of English, 52S Toadflax, a pretty, 105 ; Ihe alpine, 70 Tomato culture, 519 ; disease, 323 ; Picsid^nt Cleveland, 211 ; the Couqu ror, 401 Tomatoes, 435 ; as fruits, 537 ; diseased. 21, 55; for walls, 212; for winter, i5-t. 287; in the op-n, 324 ; in the open in 1S91, 402 ; ill the o/n:ti air tit litn-tihh>i (ianlrns, ^Stam- rhrd, 4-il ; or Tea Roios 109 ; outdoor, 207, 303. 5V2 Tomtits and fruit. 2S0, 330 Treasures, lost, 433 Trees and shrubs, berried, 415 ; for wet ground, 552, 000; fragrant, 501 ; in America, 213 Trees, age at which yovmg. transplant best, 30« ; birk-bound, 70 ; best adapted for vari- ous soils, 278, 300 ; chat}ge.s which they create, 42 ; characters of, 570 ; cleanly, 310; cleansing fruit, 5V3 ; effect of wind on, 210 ; for plantiug, selecting, 4 15 ; for small lawns, 400; hedgerow, 322; in jtarks, 90; on limestone soils, SO; p'cturcsque grouji- ing of, 162 ; pla'.ting S-iO Trcnch'ng and deep cultivation, SS''; lias- tard, 370 Tricbocentrum otthoiL etron, 100 Tricliosnia suavis, 405, 405 Trillium granditloruni, 583 Trilliums, V22 Tritoma glaucescens, 2S7 Tritonia aurea, 73 Trolius, 164 ; acau'is, 103 ; asiaticus, 103 ; a. flore-croce', 137; aaiwicus 103; europieus, 103 Tropaeolum tricolor, 135 ; tuberosum, 483 Troppeolums, eli^b.ng, 43S Truffles, 590 Tuberoses, 109 ; without lieat, 242 Tulipa Kolpa'owskiana, 175; Leichtlin', 173 Tulips for early forcing, 317 ; garden, 174 Turnips, 28S ; early and late, 323 ; for winter use, 5tj U. Ulnius D.ampleri aurea, 322 ; glabra, 3 0 V. Vaccinium crythrinum, 532, 556 Vallota bu'bs, Narcissus fly in, 343 ; p purea, 7J Vaida Amcsiana, 510; crerulea, 29', 334 ; Denisoniaiia, 78 ; Hookeriana, 276 ; Kim- balliana, 154, £98 Vases, flowers in season for, 41 Vegetable refuse, 302 Vegetabl s, showing, 5G7 ; tlic difficulties of an exhibitor of, 531 Veitch Mem'ri^l ju'izes, 580 Venice, a garden in, 191 Veri ascum phlomoldes, 136, 501; phlomoiJes, 561 ; phojnicum, 19; Thapsus, 23, 113, 121, 140 Veronica Andc soui, 370; anomala, 39 ; Hul- keana, a large, IS ; longifolia var. subsessi- lis, 184 ; salicornoides, 481 Vine, the Claret, 200; the llop leaved, 4S3, 507, 586 ; bordei"8, covering, 300 ; roots re- stricted, 313 Vines after fruiting, 43 ; and Peaches, lipen- ing the wood of, 4'.9 ; feeding, 151 ; inarch- ing, 458 ; lifting, SI; moa y bug on 222; pot, ISO ;pot for forcing, HAl ; pot,wate'ing, 40 j ; pruning. 468, 570 ; renewing, 80 ; ripen- ing pot, 93 Vinery, the Longleat, 29 Vineries, w:isps in, JS7, 233 Viola f'uticosa 24 Violet growing, Mr. Gilbert on, 5S1 ; Marie Louise, 183 Vitis heteroi>hylla humulifolia, 483, 532 556 vinifera puri ur^a, 209 Vosges, notes from the, 423 Vriesia cardinalis, 560 Wa'cs, notes from, 320, 632 ; Sovith, ha dy fruit cu ture in, 239 Walk, a Kut, 142 ; a Vine-covered, in a Vene- tian garden, 250 ; a Vinc-covertd, in Mr. Eden's ffaidenat Fwt'fe, 269 Wallflowe s, 560 Wall, a well-fvmiisbed back, 114 Walls, fniitt'ees for north, <95 ; greenhouse, 371 ; Ivy on, 137, 150 ; Plum trees fornorth, 574; Roses on, 100, 109 ; south, Plums on, 92 Waltham Cross, Roses at, 99 ; some trees and shrubs at, 132 W-rscewiezella Wendlaadi discolor. 267 Wasps, 280, 321 Watercress cultui'e, 492 Water margins, planting, 250 Wats-.nia dcnsiflora alba, 303 ; Iridifolia var. O'Bricni. 303 Weather, the, ia London, 531 Weeds and garden refuse, 50 Wet, too much, 501 Whorl Flower, the 112 Wickham Court, trees at, 353 Wigtownshire, the weather in, 183 Willow, wood of the crack, 162 Willows, alpine, 06 Wimborne's, Lord, grounds, outrage in, 503 Winter Aconite tubers 300 Winter, early, 568 ; flowering plants for, 184 ; Parsley fo-, 32 ; preparing Cucumber* for, J or. Wire retting for fruit trees, 240 Wood . good, how to recognise, 66 Wootilice, destroying, 40>* Wood Lilies, North American, 222 Woods, rustic seats for, 20 Wyethia species from CoLtral America, 22 Y. Yew, the Irish or Florence Court, 62 ; h-Ukor Florence Cnurt, 02 Yeio tree in Yturdah, Conislon, .509 Yew trees at TrcguUow, Cornwall, 237; the age a^d growth of, 508 Yucca filifera, 340 Zamia intcgrifolia, 550 Zaiischncria ralifoi-nica, 230 Zinniiis, 141 Jan. -2, 189i] THE GARDEN INDEX XI ^"^ COLOURED PLATES. ALLAMANDA WILLIAMSI ANOIGANTHUS BREVIFLORUS ... BIGNONIA TWEEDIANA CiESALPINIA JAPONICA CALLIRHOE PAPAVER CAMPANULA PULLA CARNATION QUEEN CATTLEYA SCHRCEDER^ CYDONIA JAPONICA ALBA AND PINK VAR. DAIS COriNIFOLIA DIANTHUS CALLIZONUS DICENTRA SPECTABILIS ERYTHRINA CRISTA GALLI PAGE 4G8 I FRANCISCEA CALYCINA GRANDIFLORA 54 I IRIS ROBINSONIANA 10 LILIUM HENRYI 5S8 MORISIA HYPOG.EA 540 OMPHALODES VERNA 444 PANSY (TUFTED) VIOLETTA 4?2 PHILADELPHUS MICROPHYLLUS 30 PRIMULA IMPERIALI3 12G PRIMULA POISSONI S98 ROSE LAURETIE MESSIMY 332 TRILLIUM GRANDIFLORUM i;)8 TROLLIUS EUROPyEUS AND T. E. AUIUNTIACUS 510 TULIPA KOLPAKOWSKIANA AND T. LEICHPLINI P\OE 78 312 422 244 150 5G1 288 2G(! 354 378 222 102 174 Tnii UATtDEX.J [Jan. 2, 1S92. GEORGE FRANCIS MILES. Gkorge Francis Miles, youngest son of tlie late Canon Miles, was born at Bingham Rectory, Notts, on April 22, ls.')2. From his earliest childhood he was devoted to flowers and their culture, inheriting 1.)oth his love of gardening and art from his mother. On leaving Marlborough College he studied architecture under Mr. Blomfteld for a short time, but afterwards reverted to his original inclination for art, and worked at the South Kensington School previous to joining the Royal Academy. In 187:5 the first of the series of photographs by Messrs. Mansell of his charming heads was sent out, and it, as well as its successors, had a most extensive sale. His pictures, being full of talent, have been hung in the Royal Academy, the Grosvenor Gallery, and the Salon in Paris. The Prince of Wales kindly allowed the picture of " Pity and ove are akin " to be engraved, and it is perhaps the best known of Frank Miles's pictures. He was a most enthusia.stic gardener, especially keen on hardy flowers and picturesque gardening. The most beautiful mixed border we have cvir seen was that in his father's garden at Bingham. He was especially interested in all Lilies, Hellebores and water planls. His illness began in 1887, and terminated in his death on July 15, 1891. He was buried iii the churchyard at Ahnondsbury. his brother, C. 0. Miles, being vicar of the parish, and his grave is covered by some of his favourite planls. July 4, 1891. VOL. XL. Orchard AND Fruit Garden. PREPARING FORCING STRAWBERRIES. No sooner are the last of the Strawberries in pots got rid of than a fresh start has to be made towards preparing a fresh stock. It is a matter that admits of no delay, and not a little depends upon the way in which it is carried out. Occa- sionally, instances are to be met with of com- paratively small, badly established plants forcing or fruiting well in pots, but those who have studied the question and have had a long expe- rience with Strawberries are strongly of opinion that much the best results attend the practice of getting the young plants established in their fruiting pots as early as possible. Some even go to the length of early potting up runners dibbled out in nursery beds in the previous August or September, and it must be admitted that this is a very simple way out of the diffi- culty. I will go farther, and concede that some of the finest fruit to be seen anywhere are grown at Wilton House, Salisbury, on plants potted up from nursery beds — a stock of several thou- sand strong plants being probably already in their fruiting pots ere this. The plan answers well, but seems ta gain but little favour among gardeners generally. My own impression also is that tliere is a considerable amount of wasted labour in the shape of watering and dis- budding to be reckoned with where this method of culture is adopted. Plants thus early and strongly established in pots require to be watered at least twice daily in hot weather, and from first to last require very much more attention than can well be devoted to them in the majority of private gardens. Market growers may safely be trusted to find out which is the simplest as well as perfectly reliable method of preparing plants for forcing, and there is no good reason why private gar- deners should not adopt similar pi-actices. In- stead of layering runners into small pots, shifting from these into the fruiting sizes, or else of layering direct into fruiting pots, they are content to detach rooted runners from the old plants and to place these at once in fruiting pots, the latter being then set out in the open on ashes, where they are to remain till stored for the winter. When the runners are fairly strong, have not been trodden up. THE WEEK'S WOBK. THE KITCHEN GARDEN. Borecole oe Kale.— The planting out of all winter Kales may now commence as soon as ready. It is not advisable to set out any of the Bore- cole whilst the plants are in too small a state, for they will make much better progress if allowed to remain undisturbed in the seed bed, and the larger the plants are comparatively speaking for planting out, the more quickly they become established. Before planting it is advisable to look over the stock, planting each variety in quantity according to the demand and so as to form a suc- cession, for however severe the winter these hardy Borecoles may be relied upon. Commencing with the green-curled, this may be relied upon for the earliest cutting, to be followed by the Cottager's Kale, Read's Improved Hearting, and for the late or spring cutting the Asparagus Kale. However undesirable is the system of planting between the rows of Potatoes, this is the position probably where thousands of plants will have to go, and as Potatoes, like other crops, are later than usual this season, the more likely are the plants to become smothered up unless almost daily attention is given to bending back the haulm. Planting between the rows of Potatoes is not to be commended, but under the very close cropping carried out in small gardens there is no other alternative. It is not possible to plant except in every alternate row, as the intermediate space would be required for the Potato haulm. In those gardens where there is open space at disposal the plot will have been already dug and manured, and in old gardens where " club '■ is known to attack the roots a dressing of fresh slaked lime pointed into the surface will be beneficial. Examining the roots previous to plant- ing and pinching off any excrescences, afterwards dipping the roots into a mixture of soot, lime, and soil mixed to the consistency of paint, will also have the effect of considerably lessening the evil. Bkoccoli. — Like the foregoing, these are con- siderably later than usual, but judging by past ex- periences the plants will be all the better for it, and in my case it will be the latter end of the month before the plants are fit to go out. ■ Con- sidering the adverse results of last winter. Broccoli probably will not be depended upon so much as formerly, and although it is not safe to rely upon them solely, yet it is a crop we cannot dispense with. The mistake is generally made in planting too many of the so-called winter varieties, as these are chance varieties at the best of times. A good breadth planted now of 'V'eitch's Self-protecting will be found as useful as any autumn crop, as these may be taken up and protected upon the approach of frost. The plants of the above useful Broccoli, or even Walcheren, should now be fit to go out, as these have to make their growth and turn in before the severe weather sets in. As the other varieties become fit these should be planted out on firm ground. Ground cleared of Peas is often resorted to, with little preparation other than deep hoeing and clearing oil' any rubbit-h. Under this simple treatment this crop often succeeds well. Ground dug early enough to have time to settle down and become fairly firm is to be preferred. It is in planting on loose and heavily manured soils that the mischief lies. As soon as the plants are fit plant out firmly at the least ;iO inches apart. Si'ROL-TiNG Broccoli.— This will be found most useful during the early spring month.s, and is pre- ferred by some people to the ordinary white Broccoli. Considering its hardiness, it is well worthy of attention, although last season probably being an exception, it was killed outright in the majority of gardens. Being of a free branching habit, a space of 30 inches apart is none too much, and where room is not limited an extra 6 inches may well be given. Wide planting of Broccoli may be considered waste of space, but where close planting is resorted to the plants are often several feet apart on account of the gaps created through the evil of close planting long before the time arrives for cutting. Savoys and autu.un Cabbage. — In the ma- jority of gardens Savoys are planted out at this date and even earlier in many instances. As a rule these do not form the most useful produce for the dining table. The fault generally made with the Tom Thumb variety is planting too early ; con- sequently at the time when they are most required or appreciated they are past their best. Being a small grower, a great many plants may be set out on a small space. The medium-headed varieties, or such as the dwarf green curled and Early I'lm, may be planted IS inches apart, and the large or Drumhead 2 feet. Cabbage for autumn use must now be planted out, or as soon as they become ready. Good ground is very essential for thi* crop. On poor ground the texture is tough, the flavour also very poor. Certainly whilst other good vege- tables are in season Cabbages are seldom needed, but coming in as these autumn Cabbages do when the summer vegetables are on the wane they will be found very acceptable. A breadth of that hardy variety Winnigstadt should not be neglected. The delicious Chou de Burghley may also be planted with advantage for winter use. A. Y. A. FRUIT HOUSES. Pines. — A spell of bright hot weather has brought on the earliest fruit very rapidly, the Queens being especially liable to ripen too much together, and the succession can only be kept up by retarding some that are nearly ripe and taking extra care of many that are quite ripe. Some that are colouring fast might be transferred to an early vinery, and in which a free circulation of air is constantly main- tained. Those farther advanced ought to be taken to still cooler, yet dry quarters, a fruit room answer- ing well. A considerable number bearing ripe fruit might be kept in deep Potato frames, these being well raised on large flower-pots or brick piers. In such positions plenty of air reaches the fruit, and the ripening if slow is perfect. The plants bearing ripening fruit ought not to be wholly dried off, liut should have enough water to keep them fresh and healthy, the fruit being juicier and more richly flavoured accordingly. Continue to maintain rather high temperatures with plenty of atmospheric moisture for the successional fruit, fire-heat being used sparingly whenever the outer weather permits. Being well rooted they will take liquid manure freely, guano water alternating with farmyard liquid manure with advantage. Keep the fruit carefully supported with stakes where at all necessary to keep them upright, and closely re- move all gills that form — ah'^o preventing the growth of many suckers, one left on each plant being ample. Water newly-potted successional plants very carefully, as Pines cannot be induced to thrive in soured soil. Ventilate early and to- wards 1 o'clock on sunny days somewhat freely, the aim being to induce a sturdy rather than a drawn and watery growth. Now is a good time to start another batch of strong plants of late varieties, notably Smooth Cayennes to give fruit next winter. They will require a bottom-heat of SIO° or there- abouts, and a night temperature of 75°, with an in- crease of 10° in the daytime. Water should be given somewhat sparingly at first, or otherwise many of the plants may recommence leafy growth and fail to fruit accordingly. Early Vines. — Vines newly''cleared of fruit must not be neglected, as they have yet to lay the foundation of next season's crops. The foliage should, therefore, be kept as clean and as healthy as possible till it ripens and falls naturally. .\n occasional syringing of clear water will usually serve to keep red spider in check, but if it fails to do so mix a handful of flowers of sulphur with the syringing water, repeating the dose till the leaves are well coated with the sulphur; then cease syringing. Remove all superfluous or late formed lateral growths, these hindering rather than pro- moting the muoh-to-be-desired root-action. The latter ought now to be going on briskly, and on no account, therefore, should the borders be allowed to become at all dry. Admit all the air possible to the house. Those only partially cleared of bunches should haveabundance of airandthefire-heatshould be turned on in dull showery weather. SDCCES.SIONAL VINERIES. —This is a rather criti- cal time with the bulk of Madresfield Court grown in this country, the berries when approaching ripe- ness being very liable to crack badly. Nothing but the maintenance of a free circulation of dry air will prevent cracking, a few hours of close moist atmo- sphere causing the berries to split open wholesale. Never, therefore, wholly close a house in which the Vines of this variety are bearing ripe or ripening bunches, and whenever dull showery weather is imminent turn on a little fire-heat in the daytime as well as during the night generally. A little front as well as top air every night will benefit this, and ripening black Grapes generally, and the former ought, therefore, to be given regularly. Undue haste in ripening is a frequent cause of a want of colour in black Grapes, and not much fire- heat and plenty of air ensure better results. Fes- ter's Seedling is also liable to crack badly under the same conditions that cause Madresfield Court to do so, and similar preventive mea- sures are necessary. This and all other white va- rieties colour more perfectly when given plenty of time and are not unduly exposed to bright sun- shine, the berries frequently being disfigured by having the foliage tucked back from over them. Let them have plenty of light, but no direct sun- shine. All houses in which Grapes are ripening may be nearly closed towards 4 o'clock and air given freely directly the sun strikes on them in the morning. Damp down once or twice during clear days. Late Grapes— These are making rapid pro- gress, and will soon reach the stoning period. All must be freely thinned out or the berries will press bard against "each other, and keep badly accord- ingly. Shouldering up is advisable in the case of most varieties. Lady Downes standing least in need of this attention. Some of the longest shoulders might with advantage be wholly removed, while those better placed may be shortened into better shape. Mrs. Pearson is occasionally somewhat dis- appointing, many of the apparently well set berries failing to stone and swell off properly. In this instance, therefore, it is advisable to thin out rather lightly at first, the final thinning being deferred till the present time or till it is seen which will swell off properly. Freely thinned out, well-stoned berries will swell to agood si zeor nearly as large as the Black Hamburgh, and, given good room, their long-keeping qualities will be considerably enhanced. Golden Queen requires but little thinning, the berries being borne on long foot-stalks, but it pays for be- ing shouldered up. The same remarks apply to Gros Guillaume, as only quite the smallest berries should be taken out of the bunches of this variety. No mistake can well be made in very severely thin- ning Gros Colman and Black Alicante, but Mrs. Pince's Muscat is less sure in setting and the final thinning should be delayed accordingly. Muscat of Alexandria seems to have set better than usual both in mixed houses and in separate compart- ments, but in this case the final thinning should be t atmosphere to a cooler, rather dry, and airy place, but do not all at once stop the supplies of moisture at the roots. The plants must be gradu- ally inured to it. In fact, the difference between success and comparative failure in the culture of Orchids consists in the care with which the various operations are carried out, and paying attention to the fact that the removal from one temperature to another should be gradual, and the drying off as the plants approach the resting period onght to be the same. I ought also to add that all Dendro- biums in growth should still be kept in a high tem- perature and moist atmosphere ; the growth ought to be steady and continuous until it has quite finished up, when the introduction to the resting stage should be gradual for another season, as it is at this period that the flower-buds are formed for next year. I had an illustration some seven or eight years ago of the great importance of well exposing the young growths of Dendrobiums to the light and air when growing and ripening them. I bought six plants of Dendrobium 'Wardianum from an importation early in the year ; they were planted in teak baskets and hung up close to the roof glass in a warm house, where they made good, but not long growths during the summer. In the autumn I happened to see a splendid lot of plants, with young growths much longer than our own and quite as strong ; they had been grown in small pots and were placed very close together on the stage of a house similar to our own. I bought six more of the best of these plants, but was very much disappointed when they flowered. Each long growth produced on the average about six flowers, and these were all to- gether close to the top of the stems, while our own were much better flowered ; in fact, the growths were as well furnished as I had ever seen them to at least two-thirds of their length. Dendrobiums require very thin shading, and it ought not to be used unless it is absolutely necessary. Some spe- cies of Dendrobium are very liable to be attacked by red spider during hot weather in summer and autumn, and none more so than the lovely species D. Falconeri and D. Devonianum. They can be kept clean by placing them where they can be tho- roughly well syringed once at least daily. I have frequently taken them down and thoroughly soused them with tepid rain water until the parasites have been driven off. The minimum temperatures are easily kept up now with but little artifii-ial heat. J. Douglas. PLANT HOUSES. Stove. — Floweeincj plants.— Many of the finest of these which flower during the summer season will now be making a good display. Tliese by careful treatment and attention will continue for a long time in perfection. With warm weather, such as we have been having of late, most of these plants will be found to take larger quantities of water. Allamandas, for instance, delight in a most abundant supply; in fact, when in a healthy state at the roots it is hardly possible to give them too much. This should now be further supported by liquid manure or an artificial stimulant at frequent in- tervals if the plants are flowering freely. Should they, however, be disposed to grow too strongly with less disposition to flower, then such assistance is not needed. When once, however, the plants are flowering freely, then there will not be much fear of exciting them too much. They should re- ceive all the light possible; not only will this render them more free flowering, but it will at the same time tend towards the production of blooms of better substance, these possessing more of that bronzy colour upon them, and the buds alto, than if shaded. When fully exposed short-jointed wood is obtained ; this soon sets for bloom, the same pro- cess being repeated with succeeding growths. Bougainvilleas require somewhat similar treatment in all respects with the exception of temperature. I more particularly refer to B. glabra, which pos- sesses most of the perpetual blooming character. This will grow and flower well in 10° lets tempera- ture during the summer season, and with a more abundant circulation of air going on than is usually accorded to stove plants in general. In this man- ner also the colours of its bracts are greatly intensi- fied, these also lasting longer in good condition. After an abundant turn of flowering, those portions of the shoots which have ceased to bloom may be cut out, provided the terminals are not pushing ahead with the prospect of flower again in a short time. I.xouAS, unless they are plunged, will also take a plentiful supply of water with stimulants, as pre- viously advised, but on the weaker side. When plunged greater care must be taken, otherwise the roots will become soddened and the soil sour before the season is out. For my own part I prefer at this season of the year always to have Ixoras lifted out of the plunging material for this reason. I am quite alive to the fact that very fine examples are grown in bottom-heat;; the watering must, however, be done very carefully. On the other hand, it is possible to grow them in a most satisfactory man- ner without the aid of bottom-heat at all, particu- larly some of the kinds of more recent introduc- tion. That pest of the stove, the mealy bug, must be sharply looked af l;er where Ixoras are grown ; if any are allowed to locate themselves in the flowering trasses before they are fully developed, they increase there to an alarming extent, being so much out of the reach of the .syringe. This will cause the flowers to drop before their time, some- times even in the bud stage. Wasps are also trou- blesome to Ixoras, nipping the pips asunder at the base a little later in the season. The bug should be well hunted down and the wa'ps trapped in the usual manner as advised in the fruit calendars. Where there are a few plants of Clerodendron fal- lax, some should now be allowed to flower, whilst others are pinched at least once more for later blooming. Those in flower now will want careful looking to for the removal of dropping blooms ; those fading often injure those just expanding, particularly in a very moist atmosphere, the foliage also being frequently disfigured. The same re- marks apply to the stove Vincas with even more force ; by constant looking after, however, no harm need be done in either case When flowering, these plants, like the Allamandas, will take a large amount of water ; both, however, prefera rather drier atmosphere, or at least to be avoided by the syringe on most occasions. Kondeletias, now that they are growing freely, will also take a larger supply of water, but not so much as when the flower trusses are fairly well advanced. Dl PLADENIAS, on the other hand , should be looked after as carefully as Ericas or New Holland plants; in fact, I have flowered them quite well and con- tinuously with a less amount. Nothing is rnore in- jurious to this fine race of plants than indiscrimi- nate watering. Once let the roots be sodden and remain in that state for a little time, it will not be long before the ill effects are apparent. For this reason, unless in the hands of experienced growers, I consider it better to keep Dipladenias somewhat pot-bound ; thus treated they will do well and flower continuously during the season. If red spi- der is found to be attacking the foliage, careful sponging should be resorted to, using water im- pregnated with sulphur. Of plants to flower in the autumn, the Aphelandras, as represented by A. aurantiaca and A. cristata, are fine subjects when under good cultivation. These should be carefully looked after to see that the points of the shoots are not in any way injured or deformed by insects. The shoots have a tendency to grow erect and crowd 8 THE GARDEN. [July 4, 1891. each other, but bj a little drawing outwards this can be materially remedied. Gardenias which have flowered well should be encouraged to make a good growth. In any case where such a growth is com- pleted and the plants apparently disposed to form bloom buds, they may be gradually inured to a cooler temperature and eventually stood out of doors in a sunny and sheltered spot. Those still growing freely can be treated in like manner a few weeks later on. AVhere it is not deemed advisable to stand them out of doors a cool house will suit them for a time to allow a resting period. V'nder this treatment one important point must be borne in mind, viz., that of watering, not nearly so much being needed. j. Hudson. Rose Garden. ROSES ON WALLS. Every advantage should be taken of growing Roses upon walls or fences, instead of wasting years in gradually training up kinds that were never meant to climb ; we should quickly cover the space with the rampant-growing Roses, and each season after there will be flower.s in greater abundance. Gloire de Dijon, Mme. Berard, and Reve d'Or are a trio of the greatest value. Th9 present time, however, is most opportune for calling attention to the merits of other kinds, new and striking, or even old and uncommon. I have no hesitation in placing on equal terms with Gloire de Dijon two other Roses, namely, Bouquet d'Or and Emilie Dupuy. They are two of the most certain wall Roses, their flowers being fragrant, most abundantly pro- diiced, and perfect in form. William Allen Richardson is a great success — at least one plant of it. This Rose seems to indulge in strange vagaries. I had three plants in different situa- tions ; one has lived and grown and bloomed in the most charming manner, another made some growth and flowered, but grew no more, and ultimately died, whilst the other lived, but neither grew nor flowered, and is still in that condition, although moved to the same position and planted beside the specimen that has done so well. A Rose that promises to rival this last-named kind iu the richness and distinctive- ness of its colouring, and with a flower of greatly superior size and form, is Mme. Chauvry, a comparatively new Rose sent out by Bonnaire in 188G. Certainly it is not yet much known by English growers, for in one trade list I find it described as "salmon tinged with rosy-yel- low," and it is further compared with Mme. Berard. In one respect this comparison ap- plies, namely, in the habit of growth, which is vigorous, the shoots quite red in colour, with smooth, almost thornless bark. In the flowers there is absolutely no resemblance, for those of Mme. Chauvry when first they open are salmon- tinted externally, but instead of rosy-yellow they are of a rich butl' or apricot tint, very dis- tinct and striking, full, double, fine in form, last- ing, and becoming somewhat lighter as they fade. It will be an important Rose in the near future. Two other wall Roses that give the greatest promise of future worth are Duchesse d'Auer- stadt and Henriette de Beauveau, but as they have been referred to in a separate note, no more need here be said of them. I should like to know if anyone has ever been really successful with Mme. Eugene Verdier. I allude to the climbing Tea sent out by Levet in 1882, as there is a Hybrid Perpetual bearing the same name. If the one in question could only be induced to flower freely it would be one of the finest deep yellow Roses iu cultivation, whilst I do not think among the hundreds of kinds iu existence there is another so power- fully fragrant as this. I have given it a good position upon a warm waU and only an occasional bloom has been the reward, but that one bloom has been sufficient to alter any decision that may have been come to concerning the plant's removal and to reawaken desires for such blooms in quantity. It will be a great pity if so tine a Rose does not prove more amenable to good and careful culture. Mme. Barthelemy Levet is another such Rose, a little tender, but fairly vigorous and with charming flowers of a pale canary yeUow colour. It looks a desirable kind, but up to the present it has not come up to expectation. Marechal Niel is flowering finely upon young plants, and with all that have been previously named makes up the list of kinds that upon the walls associate so well with the Teas in the beds and borders. Elsewhere upon another wall that backs up the border of Hybrid Perpetuals the most striking Rose has been Reine Marie Henriette. Unstinted praise can alone be accorded this Rose if suitably planted. In point of earline.ss, however, precedence must be given to Cheshunt Hybrid, but although to this quality we may add another, viz., its ex- ceeding freedom, yet I think it is a greatly over- rated Rose. If the weather be at all bright, the flowers, even half-opened buds, lose all their freshness of colour and look half faded, their drooping habit tending to strengthen such an impression. This will always be a great defect, and one which cannot be remedied. Reine Olga de Wurtemburg is the Rose to cover a great space where a first-rate variety is not required. In some respects it is unique, for no other Rose of the kind has such a wealth of realljf handsome leafage, and the long crimson buds are extremely pretty as buds, the expanded flower having little value, being hardly semi- double. The quantity, however, as might be expected, more than atones for lack of quality. In contrast to these brightly coloured kinds Jaune Desprez stands out conspicuous. It covers a large space. It is a mass of blossoms ; the flowers are in large clusters and their fra- grance is spread far and wide. A. H. Boses Duchesse d'Auerstadt and Hen- riette de Beauveau. — The lovelyrace of Dijon Teas, than which we have no better Roses for covering our houses, walls, and fences, was in 1.SS7 further augmented by the addition of two kinds, both of which have undoubted merit, and one, if not both, will appear among the first-rate Roses of the fut ure. The pride of place must go to Duchesse d'Auer- stadt, as some strong plants of it, although re- moved last autumn from an open bed to a wall, have done so well as to unmistakably reveal the kind's distinctive merits and true worth. The bud is rather long and of a pure pale yellow colour, but as the flower opens it becomes more globular, re- taining its fulness and good shape. The colour deepens into a nankeen-yellow, rich and most effec- tive. The flowers are freely produced along the entire length of vigorous shoots of the previous season's growth, and they are sweetly scented. Henriette de Beauveau has not yet developed such high qualities, but it is vigorous in growth, .and will probably make a good climbing Rose. The Bowers of this kind are large and good in form, rather globular, and of a clear pale canary-yellow colour, with a very sweet scent. — A. H. Deformed Roses. — In mv notes upon Roses in Tiiii; Gabden of June 27 (p. 5SJ) I .alluded to the fact that we were able to enjoy the beauty of many kinds that did not come up to exhibition standard, and they had the additional merit of opening earlier because of less substance. It now appears that great quantities of bloom of the more double Roses have come deformed with sides split or with hard green centres. A large amateur grower writes that his Roses are very b,ad in this respect ; the greatest defaulters among our own are where they would be least expected. For example, upon a large group of Marie Van Iloutte there is not a bloom up to the usual standard ; they opened b.idly, are thm and flat, and have no substance I'rancisca Kiuger, as well as a few other kinds, iire covered with buds whose centres are hard and green. One is iit a loss as to the cause of this, having regard to the fact that June has been as a whole favourable towards the opening of Roses, there having been a fair amount of bright sunshine, and latterly some welcome rain. In our case all such buds will be picked off, and the present loss at a time when a few less blooms will not be missed will be an after-gain, as another crop of buds will soon appear and in all probability expand properly. It is very disappointing to exhibitors, however, to see the finest buds they have so carefully selected, tended, and watched open into flowers that are little more than monstrosities. — A. H. NEW HYBRID SWEET BRIERS. LoED Pbnzaxcb, who has interested himself in raising new varieties of the Sweet Brier, sent to the last meeting of the Royal Horticultural So- ciety a number of his latest raised seedlings, but unnamed, with the single exception of Lady Pen- zance, in which we have the flowers of the Copper Rose on the perfumed foliage of the Sweet Brier. The following day his lordship sent a larger collec- tion to the Rose show at the Royal Aquarium, and having named several of them, two first-class cer- tificates of merit were awarded to Lucy Ashton, white, slightly tinted with pale pink, and Amy Robsart, a finely formed flower, flushed with soft; bright pink. As these awards were made by two well-known amateur rosarians, they may be ac- cepted as rightly bestowed, but I think one or two other varieties were equally meritorious. All the seedlings shown displayed a decided advance in size, form, and colour, and if they eventually come into cultivation will, I think, be much grown for g.arden decoration. It is interesting to know that in the cross-breeding experiments made by Lord Penzance when the Hybrid Perpetuiil Hose was made the seed parent, the fragrance in the foliage was lost, but so long as the opposite prevailed and the Sweet Brier was the seed parent, the fragrance was retained. Some have thought that the em- ployment of a non-fragrant foliaged Rose has had the result of weakening the fragrance found in the Sweet Brier, though there are dift'erences of opinion on this point. If this be so, it might be suggested to Lord Penzance that having succeeded in obtain- ing large and improved varieties, the fragrance may be strengthened, if lost to any degree, by crossing the new forms on to the old Sweet Brier. There is ample size in the new forms, and they are characterised by fine shape and substance of petal, and attempts might now be miide with adv.antage in securing deeper and more varied tints of colour. It must not be supposed th.at the Kasing Park seedlings are the first which have been rai.«ed from the Sweet Brier. Previous to Lord Penzance taking it in hand, varieties varying from blush white to deep rose had been obtained, but it would appear in some cases with a loss of perfume in the foli- age. Such varieties as splendens. Celestial, and others can be met with in gardens, and there are the double white and double scarlet. But Lord Penzance appears to have been more successful in retaining the peculiar perfume found in the foliage. R. D. SHORT NOTES.— ROSES. Ciimbing Niplietos has fully justiliod all tlint was 8:ii Fea?nu wlion so-calloil white Roges arc plontiful out of doors. Rose Souvenir de Paul Neron-an uiippv- tiiin Koso in some places — tlii.s year more than nu'rita (lie hiah praise given to it last season in eonsoquem'e i>t its trooilom and beauty. It is a niodrrato gr hut, but tlic blofuns are produced vory frroly, and t' e croamy-wldto rose colour, edged and suffused, is deli- cate and charming. July 4, 1891.] THE GARDEN. Chrysanthemums. LA.TE CHRYSANTHEMUMS. EiTHEK for using in the greenboase or con- servatory up to and after Christmas-tirae or for cutting, the late-flowering Chrysanthemums are of great value. These late kinds furnish us with a large quantity of flowers of medium size under ordinary cultivation. It is not a good plan to aim at obtaining the flowers of abnormal size, as if this is done the chances are that some will cime fasciated or deformed, besides which three or four smaller flowers are infinitely better than one of extra size as far as utility is concerned. Late Chrysinthemums will do well if all work relative thereto is per- formed some few weeks later than in the case of the mid-season varieties. Starting, for instance, cuttings to supply a stock of dwarf plants in small pots. There is one point which I think is overlooked in the culture of late Chrysanthe- mums ; it is that of commencing to feed them far too early in the autumn ; a strong growth is thereby made which will at times fail to set any buds at all ; those buds also which may be thought safe will turn blind or fail to grow as they should do. But little loss will be sus- tained if any) by deferring the application of manurial stimulants until the plants are housed. This work need not be done quite so soon as in the case of the m:dn crop, there being no buds susceptible of injury by slight frosts. It is not well to risk the plants out too far into ( October. If not housed they should at least be so situated as to be within reach of temporary protection should a sharp frost ensue. The tendency before alluded to as regards growing too strongly Flowers of Chrysanthemum Princess Blanche. Kngraved for The Garden from a photograph sent by Mr. B. Le Neve Foster, .Sennowe Hall, Norfolk. with the cuttings, these may, it is quite possible, be had nearly, or quite, as soon as those of the others. It is not, however, advisable to jiut in the cuttings so early ; if they are inserted towards the end of .January, or even in February, good plants can be had. At that season it will not be possible to strike them in a cold frame except in the mildest of winters. The better way is to put the nuttings under a haudlight in a cool house, afterwards placing them in cold frames as .soon as struck. The after treatment need not differ (the plants simply being later) from that given to the main stock. I consider the bush form of plant better for late Chrysanthemums than the taller grown plants. To obtain ^ese, of course a few stoppings will have to be resorted to. These tops will make useful material for the latest should be further guarded against by keeping the plants in pots one size smaller than the rest. Full exposure to all the light and air, if need- ful, witli early and midseason kinds is even more essential for the late ones. When housed less warmth is required ; by this I mean that the temperature maintained to keep down injury to the blooms by damping is not at first needed for these late sorts. If frost is just excluded they will be safe enough until commencing to show colour, then a little warmth and a more buoyant atmosphere will suit them better. To facilitate the culture of late Chrysanthemums, it is far better to devote a ho\ise to their particular use. The plants should not be in any way overcrowded ; they should in fact have more room allowed thorn than is given up to earlier kinds, so that the foliage is kept in a healthy condition as long as possible. Disbudding can be done to suit each case, but I do not recommend it to be adopted in a severe fashion. Plants with from a dozen to eighteen flowers are better than those with three or four as far as utility is concerned, as well as for general efl'ect. Vabietie.s. — Although many which are in- cluded amongst the midseason kinds may be retarded, there are others which are in many respects better. Princess Teck is well known as a fine late incurved kind with white flowers. Mrs. Norman Davis is valuable in its colour, a bright yellow .sport from the foregoing. Mi.ss Marechaux is another good white kind. Hero of Stoke Newington, rosy blush, and Lady Do- rothy, rich bronze, a sport from the foregoing, should also be included. As a whole, the Japanese varieties are the best for late work. The subject of the illustration (Princess Blanche) is one of the latest of all. It has creamy-white flowers with a light salmon centre, and is of a dwarf vigorous habit. Other good kinds are : Ceres, delicate pink, changing to pure white ; grandi- florum, a well-known yellow ; Ethel, pure white, good ; Goldfinder, rich gold colour (a sport from Mrs. Chas. Carey, a well-known white 1, one of the latest ; Mrs. H. .Jones, a golden sport from Ethel ; Welcome, bronze : and H. Waterer, yellow. In the large-flowering Ane- mone section there is a useful and most distinct white named Virginale. There is also King of the Anemones, with crimson-purple flowers. Of the pompons, Lilac Gem (a dwarf kind of good habit), Comete Biela (brick-red), and Snowdrop, with its sport Yellow Snowdrop, are all useful as late kinds. The foregoing will be found amongst the best in theLr respective classes. Plantsman. Chrysantlieinums in tubs. — Those who may happen to have any spare plants of such kinds as do not require a large amount of staking when in flower will do well to place several together in large tubs to form specimens for the conservatory. Straggling growers are not suitable, but such kinds as Peter the Great with stiff growth will be found really useful. Other sorts are also to be re- commended, but the mention of one name is suffi- cient to indicate the kinds most suitable. Several plants grown in this manner will yield a mass of bloom and be found most effective. Shallow tubs will be found better than deep ones, too much soil being conducive to a too vigorous growth. When visiting Mr. Clayton at Grimston Park Gardens, Tadcaster, I took note of this idea, the results be- ing in every way satisfactory. Each tub of plants made a grand show, the flowers not only being valuable upon the plants, but also useful tor cut- ting. This plan of disposing of superfluous stock is, I think, worthy of every encouragement.— J. H. Notes from Almondsbury. — It may interest some lovers of Irises to know that I have raised here a new form of Iris Milesi; whether it will be perma- nent I cannot tell. In this new form from seed sown in L'^iK) the falls and standards are nearly pure white; faint traces of the delicate purple spots are seen before opening, but they disappear when the flower is fully expanded. As a perfectly hardy Iris, a free and continuous bloomer, fra- grant and altogether charming, I can recom- mend Iris Milesi. Its fault is too profuse growth. Carpenteria californica is blooming here under a !• feet high bush of Abutilon vitifoliuin album. I'nder it is a carpet of Lithospermum pr jstratum. A Smi- lax and a light blue Clematis climb up over the Abutilon. Tropaiolum polyphjllum is rambling near, covering the ground from which Gladioli spring. In a raised bel near, three varieties of Calochortus are opening their dainty cups. This is a charming nook in my old kitchen garden. I see no need for a carpet of green to my hardy bor- 10 THE G A EDEN [July 4, 18P1. der ; put enough plants in and do not remove the seed pods of the Poppies and little soil will be visible. Koses and herbaceous Posonies are in their glory.— C. O. Miles. Orchids. ARACHNANTHE LOWI. I AM asked by "J. M. " what can be done to make a plant of Vanda Lowi, which has been established in a Bamboo pot by a friend in Borneo and brought home by him in fairly good condition, bloom. It has lost a good many of its bottom leaves, otherwise it is in splendid condition. The plant referred to as Vanda Lowi, after being shitted to the genus Renan- thera, has at last been placed in Arachnanthe, a genus which contains some half dozen or more species, and all of them somewhat difli- cult to manage. The present plant has always been rare in our collections, not from any par- ticular difficulty in growing it when established, but from the apparent trouble in getting it home in a living state. The plant grows upon high trees naturally in the vicinity of water, and in the wet season these places are very often quite inaccessible on foot. The finest plant which I have ever seen in this country was a specimen in the collection of the late Mr. S. llucker, of Wandsworth, and upon one occa- sion when I saw it there were several of its long chains of blossoms open. These, to the best of my recollection, were each about it feet in length. A very similar plant I saw some years afterwards in the collection of Herr Schiller, near Hamburgh, and this same plant, I am told, is still in the collection of Mr. James, of South Norwood. The finest plant I have heard of in Europe was a specimen in the collection of Baron Rothschild at Ferrieres. This plant has three or four branches, and about six years ago it bore between 600 and 700 flowers upon its numerous racemes, presenting a glorious spec- tacle. 1 have seen smaller specimens flowenng, notably in the Veitcliian collection ; again in the collection of Mr. B. S. Williams at Hollo- way ; with Mr. Mitchell, when gardener to the late Br. A ins worth, at Lower Boughton, and in several other places, but these latter were small pknts. 1 am under the impression that all these small flowering examples have been the tops of old plants cut oft, for I do not think those that are left in a state of nature flower until they reach some 0 feet or 12 feet in height. One of the most remarkable things in the blooming of this plant lies in the produc- tion of two kinds of flowers upon the same spike. The two basal flowers upon all the spikes always assume different proportions and a different colour, and this occurs when grow- ing in a wild state a.s well as under cultivation. The blooms measure each about 3 inches or 4 inches across, sepals and petals much undu- lated, grouiicl colour greenish yellow, much blotched with reddish brown ; the lip is small, formed like a little sack, horned near the point; the two basal flowers on each spike ai'e more fleshy in texture, the colour being rich tawny yellow, spotted with .small crimson dots. The lip in both flowers is similar. We are indebted to .Sir Hugli Low for the first introduction of this plant, he suggesting that it should bear the name of our great English orchidologiat. Dr. Lindley. He, however, would not accept the honour, and called it after its discoverer and introducei- to this country. The plant in this country is always grown in a pot in an erect manner, but I do not think this is its natural habit. Nevertheless, its being so robust com- pels the cultivator to adopt this system. It does not like to have the roots disturbed ; therefore it is be.st to establish it in large pots or in those of a size large enough to accommo- date it for a long time. The pot should be well drained, and the material used should be sweet living Sphagnum Moss. Should the Moss decay at any time or get sour from any cause, it can be taken out without disturbing the roots. ^Arachnanthe Lowi may be grown with Vanda suavis and V. tricolor, and it succeeds under similar conditions. Although I have seen it wintered with them in a tempera- ture of 58 , I do not think that is sufficiently warm enough for it to grow vigorously and flower. During the growing season it likes an abundance of water, and usually flowers in the autumn months. Even through the winter season it should not be allowed to get dry at the roots, as this usually causes its bottom leaves to fall oft', thu^ greatly disfiguring it. W. Hugh Gower. MORMODES PARDINUM. I HAVE received flowers of this from Mr. G. Cragg, gardener to Mr. W. C. Walker, Percy Lodge, Winchmore Hill. He says it was intro- duced from Mexico direct, and is very free- fluwering, one of the plants carrying two spikes from one growth, each bearing twenty blooms. It has fusiform, stout pseudo-bulbs resembling those of a Catasetum, but from that genus Mor- modes is readily distinguished by its want of cirrhi upon the column, by the membranous lip, and in having four pollen masses instead of two. The raceme is nodding and many-flow- ered. The flowers stand upon rather long pe- duncles and are very strong. The sepals and petals have the ground colour rich yellow, in some instances rich golden - yellow thickly spotted with deep crimson; the lip is three- lobed, the middle lobe being much broader and longer than the side lobes. This species and all of the family n quire strong heat when the growing season commences in the spring, also an abundance of moisture in the atmosphere. Soon after growth commences the spike is put forth. After the growth is com- pleted water may be entirely withheld, and the leaves will soon decay. The plants may be rested at the cool end of the Cattleya house until the spring when they should be placed in the East India house. The pots for these plants should be excep- tionally well drained, and the soil consist of fibrous peat, light turfy loam in small quan- tities, and Sphagnum Moss, the whole made very firm and solid. Under these conditions all the species belonging to this family will thrive well. One of the very handsomest kinds, however, which I know was introduced and bloomed finst in this country twenty-one years ago. It was named M. Uncia by Reichenbach. It is a noble plant, producing a long raceme of large flowers which are gay in colour and y ield a strong and delightful odour ; the sepals and petals are about 2^ inches across, soft creamy- white on the outside, pale yellow within, and profusely spotted with oblong dark red spots ; lip curved upwards, dark purple at the base, lilac at the tip. This is a much handsomer plant than M. pardinum. W. Hugh Gower. Catasetum from. Mexico (G. Crajiy).— This is the male ilower of some species, but I am unable to (leteniiino which. Grow it, and it will no doubt pro- duce gayer flowers at some future time, and these may bi3 more easily determined. — G. Cattleya Schilleriana (•/. Jes.viji). — The flower sent is not that of C Aclandire, but a form of tliis species. It is a very variable plant as far as colour is concerned. Your flower appears to me to be like that of the form known as C. Regnelli and is very beautiful. It measures nearly 4 inches across, the sepals and petals having the ground colour rich bronzy-green, freely spotted with deep brownish purple ; lip large, white, with deep purple veins, the middle lobe rich crimson, shaded with magenta, streaked with lines of a deeper colour, with a white margin, which is toothed. I have found this plant thrive best when grown on a hanging raft, with very little soil about its roots. It likes good exposure to the sun, but requires to have a light shade in the hottest time of the day. When growing it requires plenty of heat and moibture. During the winter it may be kept somewhat cooler, but at no time should it be dried. The plant, if strong, flowering so early in the season, may be expected to start into growth and again bloom in the autumn. — W. H. G. Garden Flora. PLATE 812 BIGNONIAS. (with a coloored plate of b. twehdl\na.*) Only a very small proportion of the 120 species which are computed to belong to this genus is known in horticulture at the present day, and a still smaller proportion can be said to behave satisfactorily under cultivation. Almost all the species known are decidedly ornamental — many even of the greatest beauty — and they are also amongst the most easily grown and luxuriant of stove and greenhouse climbers, but they have the great defect of being in most cases very shy-blooming. That such, however, is no inherent defect of the plants themselves is shown by the success with which various spe- cies are grown in different gardens where their particular require'iiicnts arc met. Those who have attended the fortnightly meetings of the Royal Horticultural Society during the last few years will have had several opportu- nities of admiring the splendidly flowered shoots of B. Cherere, sent from Pendell Court. B. venusta, again, has for many years made a fine picture during the winter months in one of the stoves at Syon House. Two other species which arc worthy to rank with the best of indoor climbers are B. speciosa and B. purpurea, both of which flower annually in the Palm house at Kew, the former in the spring, the latter in the autumn. The genus Bignonia, as it is known in garden.?, includes representatives of several other genera. B. radicans and B. australis, for instance, are properly Tecomas, and the stove climber, B. Chamberlayni, is really Anemopiegma racemosum. So far as I am aware, the true Bignonias are confined to the Now World, being most numerous in the forests of tropical America. Althotigii spe- cies are occasionally met with in the form of trees or shrubs, the great majority are climbers, ascending to the tops of trees, and thence spreading from one to another, and thus hel[)ing to form the dense canopy of foliage which constitutes one of the most remarkable features in tropical forests. B. • Drawn for TnR Garden by H. G. Moon from flowers sent from Pendell Court Gardens, Mnrcli 2Ji, 1891. Lithographed and printed by Guillaume Severeyns. « i'<^'a- BIGNONIA TWEEDIANA JiLY 4 1891.] THE GARDEN. 11 capreolata and its variety atrosanguinea, both natives of the United States, are quite hardy in the south of England, and should be planted in every garden where wall space is available. Whether grown in stove or greenhouse, Big- nonias should be planted out, this being necessary to obtain that robustness of growth in the absence of which they will not flower. At the same time the bed or border in which they are planted should be sufficiently limited in space to be under control in the matter of watering. The two most essential points in the culture of these plants are to get a vigorous growth, and then to thoroughly ripen it off. The latter object can only be gained by exposure to the fullest sunlight possible, and by withholding water to a certain extent from the roots in winter. Thesoil in which theygrow most satisfactorily consists of loam and smd with a proportion of one-fourth peat ; a little short manure may also be added. During the growing season abundance of water should be given, and if the plants are at all root-bound, frequent supplies of manure water are very beneficial. The main branches should be trained 1 foot apart and 6 inches or 9 inches from the glass, the shoots being allowed to hang downwards. Pruning is done after the plants have flowered, cutting them nearly back to the old wood ; after- wards all that is necessary is to thin out the weak and superfluous growths. With regard to temperatures, it is probable that in many places Tiignonias are grown too warm, thus inducing a too soft and luxuriant growth and, in consequence, a deficiency of bloom. None of the following species require more than an intermediate or warm greenhouse tempera- ture. B. Cherere is a greenhouse species, and B. capreolata, as before stated, is hardy near London ; in localities where it would not thrive out of doors it is well worth a place in the conservatory. Finally, it must be re- membered that it is useless planting Big- nonias in small houses or where space is re stricted ; their full beauty can only be seen when the shoots are allowed to hang several feet from the glass. B. TwEBDiANA. — Although this species was in- troduced from Buenos Ayres in 1838, it is still one of the least known. The only illustration of it published previous to the one here given is to be found in the Botanical Hegister for 1839. It may be grown in the greenhouse, but should have the warmest and lightest position. The leaves are in pairs, lance -shaped or cordate, IJ inches to 3 inches long, the pstiole ending in a short three- forked tendril. The flowers are 2 inches long, trumpet-shaped, the corolla divided into five large, rounded lobes, and measuring from 2 inches to nearly 4 inches across ; the colour is a bright orange-yellow. The plant is not so strong growing as most Bignonias are, and when trained near the roof the hanging shoots are very pretty and grace- ful. B. CnEEERE,of which a coloured plate was issued with The Garden for December 20, 1S84, is pro- bably the finest of the cool house Bignonias. It is of strong growth, with long shoots bearing the cor- date leaves In pairs or threes. The flowers are pro- duced in large clusters on the current year's growth, and generally from June on to the autumn. They are bell- shaped and about 4 inches long, with widely spreading lobes, the colour being a rich orange-scarlet. It is a native of the mountainous regions of Mexico, growing there in forests and generally near streams. The long flexible stems are used by the natives as ropes. B. VBNDSTA may be grown either in the inter- mediate house or in the coolest part of the stove. Its funnel-shaped flowers are produced in large clusters, the corolla being 3 inches long and of a bright orange-crimson, the lobes bordered by a narrow line of yellow. It is a native of Brazil; in- troduced in 181(j. B. SPECiosA. — A warm greenhouse or interme- diate species, first flowered in this country at Wo- burn in 1841, having been gathered by Mr. Tweedie (after whom the subject of the present plate was named) in Uruguay. The leaves are elliptical and of a rich shining green with serrated margins. The flowers are usually borne in pair.'', the corolla being 3 inches long, wide at the mouth, and with spread- ing lobes of a deep lilac, striped with purple ; the inside of the tube is yellow, also streaked with lilac. It flowers in spring and early summer. B. PURPUREA. — This beautiful species is closely related to B. speciosa ; it differs, however, not only in the flowers, but also in the useful character of blooming in the autumn. The flowers are borne in pairs in the axils of the leaves, the corolla being of a purple-mauve and measuring 2^ inches in length by 2 inches across the expanded lobes ; the tubular portion is white. The history of the introduction of this species is not known, but it was grown in the Liverpool Botanic Gardens early in the forties. The name is first recorded in one of Loddiges' nursery catalogues. B. Flower Garden. RAILWAY BANKS. When we remember the vast amount of land taken up by railways in this country, and the wide banks which are frequently, nay generally to be seen on either side, it gives us an idea of the large tracts of land, the many hundred acres which might be employed for a better purpose than they are at present. A few scattered heaps of bad hay or a little plot of Potato ground are all that we usually see by way of cultivation. The ground round our railway sta- tions is better cultivated certainly than it u«ed to be, and it is not by any means an uncommon thing now to see a bright and pretty garden at a country station. In itself, such a garden is a great attraction, and a great pleasure also to weary travellers from our smoky and dusty midland towns, and gardens of this kind are in every way to be commended. Their cultivation shows industry and taste on the part of the staff at the station, and may often tend to keep the men usefully employed when other- wise they might be idling away their time. On some railways prizes are given fur the best cultivated gardens, and on other lines the sta- tion-master gets commendation for good work. But meanwhile the railway banks are dreary enough as a rule, and land which might in many ways be of great value to the country is utterly lost. The only redeeming point is that Nature supplies the place of art to a certain extent, and occasionally the banks are covered with Moon Daisies in summer, and with Primroses and Cowslips iu spring. Many other flowers may also be noticed from time to time, so that anyone interested in botany, or gifted with an ordinary love for wild flowers may take pleasure in the rapid glance at wayside plants as he passes them in an express train. The guards of our northern trains are generally fond of flowers. A button- hole is usually stuck in the well-bru.shed coat. They are often glad to be able to take a nose- gay of Primroses or other flowers to their cottage homes, it may be in Derby or in Leeds. Frequently tho pointsman or other official living at a country station wiU make a practice of having a bunch of flowers picked by his children ready for the guard of a northern train. All this shows the intense love of flowers engrained in the hearts of our working classes both in town and country. Why, then, should so much space be lost which would probably well repay the trouble and expense of cultivation, if only for flowers l I can easily imagine that as years — I will not say centuries — go by, every corner and every yard of ground in our over-populous country will be valuable. At present our surplus population is able to push out into colonial life, and there are still vast tracts of un- reclaimed land in the New World. But it is not hard to see that the day for such broad acres of wheat land and new pasturage must come to an end, wbUe the demand for this will be ever increasing. Then when food products are dearer every spot available for their pro- duction at home will at last be eagerly souglit after, and there will be no more barren railway banks, nor probably the wild uncultivated lands of the New Forest and the Forest of Dean. But, as I have said, the demand for flowers is even now so great, that it is a pity and a shame that they should not be cultivated in such advantageous places as oftentimes lie close to our great lines of railway. If seeds of some well known sorts were only scattered over the waste ground, a good result might be obtained ; and there are many of our prettiest wild flowers which would grow and flower abundantly in such places if anyone would take the trouble to sow them. I will mention a few which seed so abundantly, that a few pounds of seed could easily be obtained and scattered about to pro- duce some day a rich harvest of beauty. There is, for instance, Foxglove, every tall spike of which gives an immense quantity of its tiny seeds ; seeds which readily grow and are not particular about sunshine or shade, good ground or bad. The same may be said of the purple or Meadow Cranesbill (Geranium pra- tense). This will scatter its seeds in all direc- tions, and quantities of its long pods could easily be saved and sown. Although "moist meadows" are mentioned in botanical books as the favourite locality of this beautiful species, I can see it at this moment growinc and flourishing on the top of an old garden wall. It grows pretty freely by the side of the railway in the Stroud valley, and most certainly adds by its beauty to the attrac- tions of the journey between Gloucester and Swindon. The only objection to this wild Geranium is that it does not last long enough in flower. Then there is the Corydalis lutea which will make the driest, hardest, and most impenetrable soil look bright and pretty with its gay yellow flowers. Let this Corydalis once get established, and it will defy all enemies and assert itself as a thing of beauty. Much might be done to make the surround- ings of our railway journeys more beautiful than they now are, and at the same time help to till our flower markets with cheaper flowers. I have only mentioned three sorts of flowers, but of course I might easily go on to name many other plants which multiply at a rapid rate from seed and are extremely beautiful. Notably, 1 ought to mention Columbine and various kinds of Poppies. I know one neighbourhood where the woods and hedges are decorated atthisseason with quantities of Columbine of various colours to the delight of those who live there ; the rea- son is simply because the squire of the parish in olden days happened to be fond of tins particu- lar flower, and was in the habit of filling his pockets with the seeds and then scattering them 12 THE GARDEN. fJULY i, 1891. about in liis walks and rides. Members of the Kyrle Society who are always trying in various ways to brighten the lives of the poor by many artistic and other devices might well turn their attention to this matter and see if they could not do something for both rich and poor by im- proving the railway banks and making them bright with flowers. Surely theday is coming when it will be found to pay to turn these large tracts of almost waste land into quasi - gardens. In many cases they would be admirably adapted for growing Strawberries. I know banks covered witli the wild Strawberry growing strong and luxuriantly. Garden sorts would do the same and be very productive, and their cultivation would cost but little. I have seen a girl pick and tie up several bunches of sweet white Violets growing as weeds on the bank while waiting for the train to come in. Surely it is a pity that something better is not grown there. The bank in question is of course left utterly wild and uncared for. It might be as productive as any garden. Gooseberries and Raspberries might well be class certificate by the Royal Horticultural Society on June 0), I know nothing, but I should not be surprised if it originated from the golden-veined variety, and not from tlie typical form. As the Spiraias are all .so beautiful there will doubtless be a good demand for this last addition, even if it does cot become popular as a market plant. — H. P. G.^RDENS OF ONE FLOWER. It may often be desirable to have a garden of one or more flowers and for various reasons, such as the study and development of a particu- lar family of plants which one takes a liking to, the iutroduction of a new species of some neglected familj of plants, and the raising and comparison of new varieties. Meeting difficul- ties of soil and exposure may also lead to a .special garden, as it did in the following case of Miss Jekyll, who first made a Primrose garden. The soil of the place being against the growth of this plant made her consider how to over- come it, and eventually led to one of the most charming gardens we have ever seen. She tells Bunch Primrjse3. grown on our railway banks and would not be subject to much pilfering because of the general supervision of the line. Of course, our bush Apple trees, now so common, but not nearly common enough, would flourish and bear valu- able fruit and would no doulit soon repay the slight expense attending the first planting and the after attention necessary for their welfare. It is hatefid to .see waste anywhere, and I feel sure that ere long our railway companies will wake up to see how much they lose on their many acres of banks and enclosed ground. A Gloucestershire Parson. Spiraea multiflora compacta.— This Spii.i;n, from the dense compact character of its ilower- spikes, is c|uite distinct from the popular S japonica, but I think the old kind would by the majority of people be preferred to the newer one, as the massive spikes of this are wanting in the light- ness and elegance of the other. There is another variety with very dense spikes of llowers, and that ia the golden-veined form of S. japonica (aureo- reticulata) which is as widely removed from the type in the character of its inflorescence as it is in the foliage. Of the origin of the new multiflora compacta (which by the way was awarded a first- us how she did it in the following remarks in the Field :— No flower better deserves a garden to itself than the Primrose. It is so old a favourite, and has been cultivated into so many forms, that anyone determined to have a Primrose girden may choose the kind he likes best, and set to work accordingly. There are the single - stalked Primroses, the earliest of all, flowering from the middle of March onwards, while some may be had in bloom as soon as the end of February. They range in colour from pure white to deep primrose, and from palest pinky- lilac through strong red purpks to a colour nearly approaching blue, and there are also rich reds of many shades. There is not as yet any Primrose of a true pink colour ; nor, though the type colour is yellow, are there as yet any strong yellows of the orange class There are also duuble Primroses in nearly all the same colourings. The florist's Polyanthus, with its neat trusses of small flowers, though beautiful in the hand and indispensable in the good garden of hardy flowers, is not a plant for the Primrose garden, as it makes no show in the mass. The grand Primroses for garden effect are the large bunch-flowered kinds, white, yellow, and orange-coloured, red, crimson, and rich brown ; of inlinite variety in form, texture, habit, and colour- ing, easy to raise to any amount by seed, as also by division of the older plants. A Primrose garden that for some years has been an ever-increasing source of pleasure and interest to its owners was formed a few years ago by mak- ing a cutting about To yards long, and varying from 10 yards to 15 yards wide, through a wild copse of young Birch trees. The natural soil was very poor and sandy, so it was prepared by a thorough trench- ing and a liberal addition of loam and manure, which has to be renewed every year. No formal walks are made, but one main track is trodden down about 2 feet wide, near the middle of the space, dividing into two here and there, where a broai ler clearing makes it desirable to have two paths in the width. The older divided plants are put in groups of a colour together, from twenty to fifty of a sort. The groups of seedlings are of necessity more various, though they are more or less true to the parent colour, so that a patch of 100 seedlings — from yel- lows, for instance— will give a general effect of yel- low throughout the group. The whites and yellows are kept at one end of the garden, and the reds at the other ; the deepest yellows next to the reds. Seen from a little dis- tance, the yellow and white part of the Primrose garden looks like a river of silver and gold flowing through the copse. The white stems of the Birches and the tender green of their young leaves help to form a pretty picture, which is at its best when the whole is illuminated by the evening sunlight. The question has been much discussed whether it is best to sow Primrose seed as soon as it is ri^ e, or to keep it over till March in the next year. Such strong opinions have been expressed on both sides, and by such trustworthy writers, that one can only conclude that each way is the best in its own place. Both have been tried in connection with the Prim- rose garden above described, where the seed sown the next March f nswers much the best. It may, therefore, be assumed that this is the way that suits seedlings for alight soil; whereas the sowing as soon as ripe is right on heavier ground, where the plants may also stand two years without divi- sion. Herbaceous Paeonies. — A very striking ex- hibit was the collection of fine herbaceous Paeonies in pots i-hown by the fiim < f Collins and Gabriel, of Hampton, at the Jame^ Street Dnll II dl, on the 0th ulr. It is evident that pot culture does lo some extent militate against f ee-flowericg. That is but natural, because the roots are so restricted ; still there was little to find fault with on the score of bloom. The plants, however, served far better than any exhibit of cut blooms to show habit and general excellence, and ceitainlydid more to in- spire the lookers on with a love for these fine P:conies than would any number of flowers in a cut state. There is a certain nobleness about Pieonies which a show of blooms alone fails to convey an adequate impression of, as, apart from the flowers, the habit of growth and fine foliage always present a very attractive appearance. Amongst the best varieties staged in the group weie. of whites, grandi- flora nivea, frstiva maxima, Sjlfaterre, canari, pulcherrima, the las>t tinted red ; Virgo Maria, flushed rose ; magnifica, flushed rose ; and cartiea elegans Hore • pleno. Of pink and rose colours, Uo lissoniana, L'Exposition I'niverselle, Prince Nicholas, rubra, Mme. Boucharlat, and Cydonie. Of reds and crimsons, rubra. Triumphant, Victor Lemoine, edulis, Philomene, Gloire de Donai, san- guinea, and the old crimson oflicinalis. Ainonu' cut flowers in other collections were very pretty othci- nalis, rose and white ; aho violacea plena, reddish magenta, petals very erect and novel. Double I'^cony llowers if cut when just bursting will stand for a long time in a cool room. I found some brought from Uropmore keep eight days fresh and beautiful. I do not think the flowers can be worse or more inefftctively displayed than when shown in flat boxes, as is the rule. — D. B. Double white Rockets.— Because the hard winter so entirely destroyed all Stocks, Brompton or Queen, it is just now very possible to find some Jlua- 4: 1891.] THE GARDEN. 13 Folace in the fine spikes of double white and sweet- scented flowers produced by the white Rocket (ilesperis matronalis). I saw recently a large patch several yards in extent and containing pro- bably a thousand plants of this beautiful perennial that presented in full blooai a sight not to be for- gotten. Some of the fljwers were tinted flesh, but these are all in certain plants ; the maj jrity were pure white. The owner had just begun to bunch the blooms and send them to market, and he found that the flowers from a rod of ground rea- lised about 12s. —not a big price, but still a profit- able one, as the plants were still left to him. He remarked to me that fine hardy, and effective as this perennial was, yet it would hardly be found in gardens generally ; indeed, perhaps little known to many gardeners. Few again, perhaps, know how sweetly perfumed it is. To keep it in good condi- tion the plants should bs often lifted and divided : In some soils the stools will endure very well several years, but on the whole it is wisest to lift them, divide, and replant every autumn, as old roots are dispensed with and the stems, which may have become exposed, being planted lower down in the soil find protection. The single variety is largely grown in this part of Middlesex, both as a market plant and to furnish flowers for cutting, but it is a poor thing at the best. Good clamps of the double Rocket make excellent exhibition plants when included in collections of other kinds. Pity it", is that we see so few such collections now. Nurserymen seem to think all that is needful is to put op big masses or collections of cut hardy flowers which are neither graceful nor show the habits of the respective plants which have produced them. — A. D. H.\RDY GLADIOLI. The pist winter has destroyed the reputation of many denizens of our gardens. There are many things which have hil^herto proved quite hardy which have this winter miserably failed to main- tain their character. This question of hardiness is a dirti;ult one. Taking the narrow limits of our own tight little island, we know that there are the greatest varieties of climate, and consequently of plants capable of enduring a severe winter. Such growers of herbaceous and hardy plants as Mr. Ewbank in the I4e of Wight, Sir John Llewellyn in South Wales, or Mr. Gumbleton in the Cove of Cork have a different tale to tell from those who try to grow the same plants in the midlands or Vorkshire : while again in the south-west of Scot- land, Sir Herbert Maxwell can tell a very different tale from what we can in the south-eastern corner of England, although we are so much further south. When, therefore, I write of the hardiness or other- wise of certain things. I must be understood as writing from Kent, and that when I speak of the severity of the winter, I mean that the thermo- meter went down to 12°, but that at the same time all were covered with between 5 inches and 6 inches of snow. Amongst those things which have had hardiness claimed for them have been certain strains of Gladioli, Lemoine's and others, the result of cross- hybridisation between G. purpureo-auratus and Sandeii and hybrids of gandavensis. In the early part of this year I wrote favourably of these, not that I admired them so much as I did the varieties of gandavensis, but they had, or claimed to have, the merit of being hardy and of not requiring to be lifted, thus obviating one of the great troubles connected with growing them. Of these I had three separate strains— those sent out by Lemoine, of Nancy, in- cluding his later strain of Nanceanus ; some from Souillard and Brunelet, of Fontainebleau ; and one variety, Turicensis, sent out by Otto Froebel, of Zurich. Some of these were established clumps which I have had for seven or eight years, while several were only started last year, and the one fate has overtaken them all. I mention this because it might be said that those planted for so many years had gradually worked them- selves up to near the surface of the ground, and so caught the frost, but the bulbs which I planted last year at a depth of 6 inches have also perished. I am quite prepared to find that some of your corre- spondents who dwell in parts of our islands where frost does not play such pranks will dissent from what I have written— perhaps will " write me down an ass," as old Dogberry says — but I can only speak and write of that which has happened to me here. The frost has destroyed many a reputation. I can no longer question as to whether Agapanthus is hardy, for it has vanished, but I am very much sur- prised to find that my plants of Trifoma Uvaria are gone. I had never doubted its hardiness, and am, therefore, the more disappointed to find that it has succumbed. I understood that those at Kew had perished, but this, I find, is not quite correct, for although much cut up, they are still alive. A grower of herbaceous plants told me that he had thought all his were gone, and that he had been trying to get some on from various growths, but had found them shooting up again. I am curious to know what experience others have had with the Gladioli, hitherto reputed hardy, but I confess it is to me a great disappointment that my hopes concerning them have thus been rudely destroyed. Df:LTA. FLOWER GARDEN NOTES. The display in the flower garden so far as bedding plants are concerned is likely to be considerably later than usual, as ever since the commencement of planting the weather has been anything but favourable for r^'pid growth, and so lately as the week ending Jur.e 13 the glass droppsd to freezing point on two separate occasions. A commendaMe feature in the planting of small flower gardens where beds are also small has been the introduction of a race of dwarfer, sturdier, and more compact plants, more in keeping with the surroundings and far better adapted for the purpose than the vigor- ous and (with a maximum of shade of ten associated with small lawns) lanky weedy growth of former years. A few things that may be enumerated as ap- plicable to such places are West Brigliton Gem, Surprise, Queen of the Belgians, and Golden Harry Hieover among Geraniums, the dwarf Ageratum (hardier and longer-lived than Lobelias), and the new compact strain of Verbenas. Where soil and situation are not favourable to the last-named. Phlox Dfummondi may be substituted. A plentiful supply of tutted Pansies must not be forgotten ; indeed a few varieties of these in different colours, say. for example. Bullion. Chelsea Belle, Countess of Kintore, Mrs. Gray, and Souvenir, will make a number of small beds bright and gay for six months out of twelve. Passing the other day some borders that had been lately filled with herbaceous things, I was sorry to notice that the old-fashioned way of planting is still in vogue, viz., individual plants in straight lines, as one would set out rows of Cab- bages. It was matter for regret that in this in- stance so good an opportunity of showing off diffe- rent fandlies of herbaceous plants to the best advantage (the borders were of good width and some hundreds of yards long) should have been missed. There is a great deal yet to learn about the successful planting of the herbaceous border ; we have become accustomed to bold groups, but it is not always that these groups are so arranged that they form pleasing and striking combinations. The argument may be advanced that the diflterent sea- sons of flower of the many inmates of such borders are ag.ainst the production of such effect, but al- though this may be true of a long stretch of border in its entirety, these combinations can be much more effective and on a much larger scale than is at first apparent. Take, for instance, the tufted Pansies ; they are quite at home in the geometrical garden, but are they ever seen to better advantage than when, in bold masses on the herbaceous border, they are backed up, as the several colours demand, by large clumps of the dwarfer feathery Spirseas, the white and blue Peach-leaved Campanula, the smallest of the Iris, and the green and variegated Funkias .' Large clumps of red or pink Pyrethrums are none the worse for the close proximity of perennial Candytuft ; the rather deep blue of Ajuga repens is seen to advantage against the soft light green of the Day Lily, and clumps of Chrysanthemum uligi- nosum make a good background for many of the Starworts. These are but a few examples in their respective seasons which could not only be multi- plied in number, but considerably improved in the matter of effective combination. I merely mention them as instances of the advantage alike of plant- ing sufficient of each subject in a mass that an ade- quate idea can be formed of its beauty, and of .'o grouping respective plantings that they harmonise as far as practicable either in flower or foliage. PsEonies have been grand this year, f.nd the cool spring has considerably prolonged the flowering season. They are splendid subjects for all large vases, the deep shades of crimson especially show- ing off to great advantage against white china or in large silver bowls for the table. The single va- rieties will doubtless scon be as popular as the doubles for the border, but I doubt if they last so long in a cnt state. A splendid effect, and one we are not likely to equal all through the summer, has been produced by a bold mass of dark crimson Pfeonies with a background of Weigela rosea, which has been very fine thi- year, and if all its varieties will flower with equal freedom we shall have a magnificent race of plants for the shrubbery bor- ders. What a mistake it is to attempt to confine W. rosea to a wall and to prune and nail it in annually ; one never gets even an idea of its beauty under these conditions. I must note also the exceptional beauty this year of Colutea arborescens, a lovely shrub, not planted so often as it might be. Doubt- less many correspondents interested in herbaceous plants will have noticed this season a feature al- ready mentioned in connection with Psonies and equally applicable to such things as the Colum- bines and Poppies, viz, the extra length of the blooming season, consequent on the cool and sun- less spring. The considerable difference in the duration of the flowering season that can be noted not only in the many families, but in the endless number of varieties of herbaceous plants is also an important matter for consideration at planting time, as it is undoubtedly a mistake to indulge too freely in the borders of the flower garden proper (whatever one may do in the wild garden) in sub- jects whosa flowers are soon over and whose foil age quickly fades. E. Bubeell. Claremtint. Phlox Drumniondi, semi-double white. — Although single flowers are usually the prettiest, those double or semi-double are by far the most serviceable. This rule holds good in the case of the new double white Phlox Drummondi sent out by Messrs. Vilmorin, Paris, a considerable number of which I have flowered in pots this season. It comes perfectly true from seed, plants raised since February having flowered freely for the past five weeks. Naturally it is not particularly well adapted for pot culture, being of rather straggling habit under glass, but it flowers very freely, and has given a very useful supply of trusses. The flowers are only semi-double, of good size and creamy- white in colour. In the open it is compact enough in growth, and altogether it shoidd be a welcome addition to the lists of half hardy plants, espe- cially where white flowers are much in demand. — I. Dog' Daisies. — These are our English Mar- guerites, hut they are little thought of because they are so common. They have, however, a serious defect. They do not have the pretty form and re- gularity of the one from the south of France, so prettily figured in The Garden a week or two back, growing wild upon the Mediterranean shore. If, however, you walk through a field where they grow well, you will soon see the beginnings of cul- ture and civilisation here and there ; one has a pretty fall in the petal, another is more regular, another has the nice elliptic petal, so beautiful in its effect. Now it is possible to combine all these features, but not very easily. However, by carefully selecting those with the handsome trumpet or Con- voUnlus-shaped flower, having as much as possible of the other characters, a beginning may be made at improvement. They are very d.flicolt to culti- vate, because they come up in such multitudes, and show themselves to be but weeds after all, and you have no need to gather seed. However, out of the 14 THE GARDEN. [July i, 1891. countless thousands th it spring up, there must be one or two haviiifj; the happy combination of quali- ties, and certainly wlien that one is found it will be worth keeping. A perpetual habit also exists in some seedlings, and this is very useful for keeping up a supply. Some also branch freely and hang loosely. These can be cut so as to show the flowers hanging unconventionally out of a group or vase in a manner quite unknown to its more polished relative of the sunny south. These simple wildings deserve notice. — A., Ihirkin;/. Hottonia palustris. — In the muddy ditches which intersect the rich meadows in the valley of the Gipping, Hottonia palustris is a very pretty feature, as it is present in enormous quantities, and is blooming with great profusion. It is certainly one of the prettiest of British aquatic plants and the more valuable because of its earliness, for beyond this flower there is little at present to be seen in bloom in or upon the margins of streams or rivers. This plant, however, thrives best where the mud deposit is deep and the water shallow ; in fact some of the longest, broadest, and best sheets of blojm were observed where there was no water at all, and here the mat of finely-cut rich green leaves spread out upon the surface of the mud, carpeting it with verdure as graceful as that of anv lovely Fern, and considerably enhancing the effect and beauty of the flowers. No better comparison could be made than the likening of the flowers of this plant to those of one of the lighter coloured forms of the Japan Primrose. It belongs to the Prim- rose family, and this justifies me in calling it the Wa,ter Primrose, for the name of Water ^'iolet, by which it is often called, is quite a misnomer, as the plant has neither resemblance nor relationship, and we have a true Water Violet, a denizen of British bogs.— A. H. liDbeliag from seed— Whilst some kinds of flowering plants are most acceptable the greater the variety found in them when raised from seed, other plants have special value because they come fairly true to character from seed. We may place Pansies in the first category, and bedding Lobelias in the latter. Still, the Lobelia is far from being perfect, and seems to have about it a good deal of original taint, or tendency to reversion. We find that blue almost invariably reproduces blue. So much is certain. The exceptions are not white, but a reddish purple colour, a hue never pleasing in Lobelias. Whilst there is not much to complain of as to colour, there is much room for improvement as to habit in the L. compacta form-i, as those will from seed produce some 20 to 30 per cent, of loose growing forms. That is not, however, so much to be deplored when some plants are wanted for baskets or similar uses, and if the seedlings be dibbled out somewhat closely together in a frame and allowed to remain till fairly strong, no difli- culty is experienced in selecting the compact from the loose ones. White Lobelias give the greater trouble. It does not matter whether loose growing or compact habited ; of the best forms ever raised, some 20 to 30 per cent, of the seedlings will always revert to blue. In this case in order to identify character it is not only advisable that the seed- ling plants should be dibbled out to allow habit to be detected, but they should also remain until one bloom at least is open, so as to ensure iden- tity of colour. It may be pleaded that this gives some trouble, but nothing in gardening is done without trouble. When, however, from a packet of seed several hundreds of plants are obtained, 70 to 80 per cent, of which are really true to character, there is very little to complain of after all. The fact that the seed saved is white does not warrant the seedling plants haviog white flowers. I grew for seed production last year the then recently certificated robust L. compacta Snow- drift. I am glad to find that it produces a less proportion of blue seedlings than any other I have previously grown, the character and habit also being excellent.— A. D. Narcissus poeticus— Ihave JubI read an article ill TiiK (iARUK.N on Narcissus poeticua, single and doubl". Both v.ariotic8 flower freely in the north, the latter especially so this year, although the sea- son is gettini? past. I send you a few blooms of the double form, wliioh I origiaally oh'ained from a wild sturee. The foot-st:ilk-i are too tall to send entire, but the pieces cut otT by no means show what their exact heitjbt is. The size of the flowers is about doubl-^ that of the ordin :ry form. The bulbs grew in a deep loam in turf near an old mansion in the county of Berwick. — C. Stuaet, M D. THE SAXIFRAGES. {Continued from p. 5'Jl.) S. Lantoscana (Boiss. and Rsut.).— A native of the Val Lantosque, in the Maritime Alps. This is distinguished from the preceding species by its thicker, broader, and more regular leaves, which are intermediate in character between those of S. longifolia and those of S. lingulata, of which two species S. Lantoscana seems to me to be an inter mediate form. Its rosettes also are smaller and better shaped. Same culture. S. CATALAUNICA (Boiss. and Raut.) —A native of the mountains of Catalonia. M. Boissier con- sidered this to be a distinct species, and I quite agree with him. It differs notably from S. lingulata in both iis leaves and its flowers. Its rosettes are closely set. well shaped, and much smaller, and its flower-panicle is furnished with glutinous glands. Same culture. S. AU.STHAi^is (Moric ). — A native of the southern parts of the Apennines. This plant might very possibly be only a form of S. lingulata with much shorter and broader leaves. It forms fine rosettes of foliage, bearing panicles of white flowers, which are much like those of S. lingulata. Same culture. S. coCHLBARis (Reich.).— A native of the Mari- time Alps. I do not hesitate in designating this a distinct species, although Engler is of a dili'erent opinion. Its very peculiar leaves, terminating in en- largements like the bowls of small spoons and form- ing small and crowded rosettes, and its large flowers, which are of a very pure white, longer than those of S. lingulata, and borne on deep purplish-rose coloured, glandular stems, aii'ord very sufficient grounds for regarding this as a distinct species. Same culture. S. CEUSTATA (Vest ). — A native of the Eastern Alps. A pretty, dwarf species with short, crusta- ceous leaves of a greyish green colour, forming closely-set and crowded rosettes. Flowers white, of medium size, and borne on glandular stalks. Same culture. S. HosTi, Tausch. (syn , S. elatior, M. K.) — A native of the Southern and Eastern Alps and of the Apennines. This species forms large, strong tufts of rosettes of foliage of a glaucous-green colour. Leaves, long, broad, regular in shape, and margined with crustaceous dots. Flowers white, in corymbs. Culture the same as for S lingulata. The following variety is also in cultivation : S II. rhajtica (Kerner), the leaves of which are longer and not so glaucous and turn red in autumn. S. ALTISSIMA, Kerner (syn , S. styriaca, Kern). — A native of the Eastern Alps. This plant is much larger than S. Hosti, which it resembles in habit and general configuration. It bears very large panicles of white flowers, and is grown in the same manner as S. lingulata. The varieties S. monta- voniens-is (Kern.), S. carniolica (Huter), and S MacNabiana (Hort.) more or less resemble S. Hosti or S. altissima, and require the same culture. S. AlzooN (L.). — A native of the mountains of Europe, Western Asia, and the northern parts of N. America. A well-known species, grown almost everywhere, and extremely polymorphous. It forms very characteristic rosettes of foliage, the leaves of which are of medium size, of a greyish green colour, looking as if they were sprinkled with powdered chalk, and have crenulated edges mar- gined with white dots. Flowers of medium .size, white dotted with purple, and borne in erect pani- cles. This plant is an exceedingly easy one to grow if planted in a light calcareous soil and fully exposed to the sun. Multiplied by sowing the seed and by division of tlie tufts. Of this species quite a collection of forms, varieties, and hjbrids now exists. Of these the most noteworthy are S. notata, Schott. (syn., S. Sturmiana, Schott.); S. liEtH, Schott. (syn., S. intactft, Willd.); S. Stabiana, Ten. ; S. robusta, Engl (syn ,S. Maiyi, Schott.; S cul- trata, Schott ; S. recta. Lap ) ; S. gracilis, Engl. (syn , S. cprinthiaca, Schott.) ; S Porta;, Stein ; S. rusularis. Hurt.; 8. Zelebori, S bott. ; S major, Koch ; S. minor, Kgl- ; S. Sturmiana, Schott. ; S. marginata, Rgl : S elorgata, Engl, ; S orientali.a, Engl.; S. Curchilli, Huter; S. sempervivoides, Hort. ; S dubia, Hort.; and S. californica, Hort. All these and many more forms and varieties are to be met with in cultivation, but it is seldom that one finds them correctly labelled in gardens. We obtained them from the Belv^di-re Hofgarten at Vienna, where Herr Maly grew them with the greatest care, and they are now growing in our botanic garden of the Linn;ea at Geneva, where they can be studied by sp cialists. S. CARTILAGINEA (Willd). — A native of the Caucasus Mountains, at an altitude of 1100 metres to 3000 metres. A very well-marked species with thick, flat, spathulate leaves, terminating in tri- angular points. Flowers large, with pure %vhite un- dotted petals, and borne in corymbs. Culture, the same as for S. lingulata. A variety named S. c. minor (Boiss.) occurs in some herbariums. S. KOLENATIAXA (Rgl.). — A native of the Cau- casus and the mountains of Western Asia. This species somewhat resembles the preceding one in its main features, which are still more deeply marked. Flowers white, borne on very bright pur- ple stalks. Same culture. S. Cotyledon, L. (syn., S. pyramidalis. Lap ). — A native of the Alps, the Pyrenees, and the arctic regions of Europe. A superb species, long since introduced into cultivation. Leaves broad, thick, of a deep glossy green colour, margined with powdered crustaceous crenatures, and forming fine rosettes of foliage, which, under cultivation, some- times attain large dimensions. Flowers pure white, rarely dotted with pink. This species belongs to the flora of the granitic formations, and does not thrive in any compost or soil which contains too much lime. It likes a light, porous, and, if pos- sible, pebbly or gravelly soil, and plenty of sun- shine. Multiplied by division of the tufts aud by sowing the seed. The varieties purpurata (Gaud ) and pauciflora (Ser.) occur in herbariums, but aie not in cultivation. S FLOKULEKTA, Moretti (syn , Tristylea floru- lenta, Mor.).— A native of the Maritime Alps. A very singular species, the rarest and most extra- ordinary amongst the Saxifrages. The plant forms closely-set rosettes of foliage from 4 inches to f! inches in diameter, and concave, but becoming convex before the flowering occurs. The leaves are narrow, imbricated, about 2 inches long, and about a quarter of an inch broad, smooth, fiinged with glandular hairs, and exhale a resinous odour. Flowers pink or bright lilac, borne in a thyrsus- like inflorescence, .S inches to 12 inches long, and spirally bent for two or three turns, the flowers on a single stem numbering from 150 to 200. This species is monccarpous, and, as soon as the plant has flowered and ripened its seeds, it dies. The plants, however, often attain a great age before they flower. I have seen some specimens which were certainly nearly ICO years old. This singu- lar species of Siixifrage grows at an altitude of 2000 metres to 3000 n.i'tres in the crevices on the perpendicular face of the granitic rocks of the Maritime Alps, between Mt, Golas and Mt. Colomb, up to the Enchastrat formations on the west. During a long period of time many attempts were made to grow this species in gardens, and an incal- culable number of valuable plants were sacrificed in fruitlessly endeavouring to icniler them amenable to cultivation. M. lioissier is, so far as I nm aware, the onlyper.-on wdio has succeeded in doing so, and this he has accomplished in his fine botanic garden at Valeyres (A'aud), where on a quite perpendicular side of a w.all facing the west he planted 100 speci- mens of this species nearly fifteen years ago. These are still living and flourishing, and appear to be thoroughly established and acclimatised there. S. MUTATA (L.).— A native of the Alps and Pyrenees. A curious monocarpous species, with JuLv 4, 1891.] THE GARDEN. 15 broad leaves of an intense deep green colour and margined with a whitish, crustaceous line, forming handsome rosettes of foliage. Flowers of a deep orange-yellow, sometimes passing into vermilion- red, and borne in panicles with leafy, glandular, erect stems. Easily grown in loam in a moist and half-shady position. JIultiplied by sowing the seed. S. TRANSTLVANICA, Fuss. (syn,, S. dimissa, Sjhott.). — This is a form of the preceding species, and is grown in the same manner. In addition to the foregoing species, there are in existence a number of hybrids belonging to this section, the most noteworthy of which are : S. G ludini, Briig. (Aizoon X Cotyledon); S. Engleri, Hat. (crustata x Hosti) ; S. pectinata, S:;hott. (Aizoon X crustata) ; longifolia x Cotyledon, longi- iolia X cochlearis, &c. These species intercross with one another so readily that it is almost im- possible to keep count of their multitudinous off- spiing of hybrids. (To he eontimied.) Trees and Shrubs. NOTES ON FLOWERING SHRUBS. A KOTiCEAiJLE feature in connection with our hardy shrubs this year is that while the majority of them are much later than usual iu blooming, tliere are, on the other hand, some that do not seem to be atfeetpd by the backward state of the season. A marked instance of this is to be found in the case of The Chinese Privet (Ligustrum sinense or Fortunei), which is already in some places thickly studded with its beautiful blossoms, though it sel- dom flowers quite so early in the season, beirg usually at its best Inter in the present month. This Privet forms a free growing shrub with spreading branches, every twig of which is crowded with small erect clusters of blossoms. It is seen to great advantage treated as a lawn shrub, as so situated the branches will sweep the turf, and a specimen, when in full flower, is a really magnificent object. It is easily struck from cuttings, grows quickly, and will thrive better than many shrubs even on dry sandy soils. Si'iR.EAS. — A notable form now at its best is S. splendens, concerning the correct nomenclature of which there seems to_be some difierence of opinion. There need, however, be none with regard to its value as a beautiful flowering shrub, for it blooms when the bulk of the Spirseas are past. It forms a dense growing bush about a yard high, whose slender upright stems are terminated by dense flat- tened corymbs of rich reddish pick coloured blos- soms. So numerous are the shoots, and so freely are the Bowers borne, that the upper part of the entire plant is quite a mass of bright tinted blooms With regard to the confusion in the name of this Spii;ca, I may 5ay it is by muny looked upon as a garden form, and in the '■ Dictionary of Gardening " described as a variety of S. japonica, not the her- baceous one, but that commonly known as S. cal- losa. Now at Kew S. fplendens is regarded as synonymous with S. betulifolia, the flowers of which are in the above mentioned book described as creamy-white, and by Loudon as white. The late Mr. Gordon, in an exhaustive essay on Spira3as, written many years since, speaks of S. cra':pgifolia and S. betulifolia as being synonymous, while the description of the plant seems to apply to our S. splendens. Another notable SpiiaBa just now is S. callosa or japonicain its various forms, for in addi- tion to the brightly coloured blossoms, the foliage, especially when first expanded, is very attractive, as the young leaves are tinged with crimson, so that though when mature they lose their bright colouring ; still, as the plant continues to grow throughout the season the upper parts of the shoots are always very showy. So situated that a bush of this Spiraia is lit up by the rays of the declining sun it forms a most beautiful object, and the fact that it continues to bloom for a considerable time is also another point in its favour. Thorns. — Perhaps the best known of the late- flowering Thorns is the Cockspur (Crat^gus crus- galli), whose beautiful shining foliage and numer- ous corymbs of pure white blossoms are all points in its favour. Tlie Tansy-leaved (C. tanacetifolia) is, however, a superb late-flowering Thorn, a col- oured plate of which was given in The Garden some years ago. It is very different from most of the Thorns, forming a still growing tree without any pretensions to gracefulness of habit, but its dis- tinct appearance renders it interesting at all sea- sons, for during the summer the deeply-cut grey- ish green foliage is very different from that of the others, while in winter the ashen-grey bark is most conspicuous. It is as a flowering tree, however, that this Thorn is most deserving of notice, as after nearly all the others are past the entire specimen is simply a mass of bloom. There are two of the small growing Thorns that flower as late in the season as this last, viz , a variety of the common Hawthorn known as semperflorens, and the North American C. parvifolia. The former of these is of French origin, and was first noticed some eiglit or ten years since. It is now known to many in this country, and for small gardens bids fair to be in still greater demand. The usual habit of this va- riety is that of a dwarf, dense bush, which early in the season is profusely laden with corymbs of pure white blossoms, and when they are over a second crop frequently makes its appearance, to be fol- lowed by a scattered succession kept up for a lengthened period. From this circumstance, it is often possible to find both ripe fruit and flowers on the plant at the same time, the berries being the product of the earliest blossoms. When less than a couple of feet high this little Hawthorn will flower with the greatest profusion, so that it may be advantageously employed for many purposes. The second of these little Thorns, C. parvifolia, forms a rounded bush about a yard high, clothed with dark green foliage, while the more vigorous shoots are furnished with long, slender, reddish spines. The flowers, which are often solitary, are comparatively large, being fully half an inch in diameter. When at its best this Thorn is certainly a very interesting and pretty shrub. Rhododendron hihsutu.m.— This is one of the little alpine Rhododendrons, with deep Box-like leaves and bright glowing crimson- coloured blos- soms. Seen in a mass it is very showy, while as an edging or a foreground to the larger members of the genus it is just at home. HrDKANGEA voLUBiLis. — Frequently met with under the names of Hydrangea scandens and Schizophragma hydrangeoides, this is in general appearance widely removed from the more commonly cultivated members of the genus, as given favourable conditions it will quickly cover a good space on a wall, to which the branches attach themselves by roots after the manner of Ivy. The flowers, as in the case of the others, are borne in large flattened heads, but the major por- tion consists of the small fertile blooms, the large showy sterile ones being limited to a few scattered around the outside portion of the cluster. It has proved itself to be quite hardy, and on a wall is now flowering freely. EscALLONiA PiiiLLiPiANA — This pretty little shrub is by far the hardiest of the Escallonias, and one well worthy of a place in most gardens, as its pure white blossoms are borne in the greatest pro- fusion, and that, too, at a time when most shrubs are past, viz., about the latter part of July. T. The Manna Ash and Judas Tree.— Two of the most interesting and beautiful of hardy, small-growing trees are the Manna or Flowering Ash (Fraxinus ornus) and the Judas tree (Cercis siliquastrum). For confined places or, in other words, where ground space will not permit of full- sized trees being planted, these two are of par- ticular value, as not only are they of small size, but, what is equally valuable, they are of unusually neat growth, rarely requiring the saw or pruning- knife to keep them in bounds. Then as to quantity and beauty of flowers produced, both are trees of the greatest value ; indeed as standard specimens few others can surpass them, either for beauty of outline or wealth and elegance of flowers produced. About the middle of June tlie Manna Ash may be said to be at its best, for then the abundance of pure white Spirrea-like flowers hangs in festoons from almost every branch tip. Well grown speci- mens of say 20 feet in height, and growing in fairly rich, but warm soil and where they are not encroached upon by either roots or branches of other trees flower with the greatest freedom from year to year, and few prettier sights in the floral way can be conceiv.id than the white plumes of the Flowering Ash swaying in the sunny breeze. Quite different both in shape and colour are the flowers of the Judas Tree, these being pro- duced along the branches and before the leaves have appeared. They are of a showy pink, plenti- fully produced, but the tree is of ungainly habit and in no way comparable in point of outline with the Flowering Ash. — A. D. W. THE JAPANESE HAMAMELIS. The Witch Hazel (Hamamelis virgiuica) of Eastern America, with its bright yellow flowers which cover the branches late in the autumn as the leaves, which are then orange and scar- let, are falling, is one of the most common and bett known of our woodland slirubs or small trees. The genus is confined to Eastern America, where a single species occurs, and to Eastern Asia, witli a Japanese species, and another which has been discovered recently on the mountains of Central and Western China. The characters which are used to distinguish these plants are not important, and to botanists who look to species largely, and do not give great weight to geographical distribution as a factor in their establishment, the three Witch Hazels might be considered forms of one species, slightly differentiated by local surround- ings. Hamamelis japonica, as it appears in the Arnold Arboretum, can only be distinguished from our American plant by its rather smaller and somewhat thicker, more prominently veined leaves of a duller green on the upper surface, and by the fact that the flowers appear in February or in early Marcli instead of in the autumn. The number of the nerves of fhe leaves by which Siebold and /uccarini (Sitz. Akad. MUnch., iv. , ii., 193) endeavoured to distinguish the Japanese from the American species is variable, as has already been pointed out by Frauchet and Savatier (Euuni. PI. Jap., ii., 3C8) ; and in our cultivated Japanese plant the leaves are very constantly five or six- nerved, like those of the American species. The colour of the inner surface of the calyx-lobes has also been used to distinguish the Japanese plant. On many of the plants cultivated in Europe, and in the wild speci- mens gathered in Japan which I have seen, the inner face of the revolute calyx-lobes is dull red. The efl'ect of the contrast between the red colour of the calyx and the bright yellow of the petals is striking and handsome, and makes this form the most attractive, probalsly, of the Witch Hazels at the time of flowering. But this colour of the sepals does not seem to be con- stant. On the plants in the arboretum, which were originally derived from Segrez, the inte- rior of the calyx is dull yellow-browu, and the Bowers can hardly bo distinguished from those of the American plant except in their rather smaller size. Another difl'ereuco between the Japanese plant, as it appears iu tlie arboretum, and the American species is found in the size of the per.sistent fruiting calyx, which in the Japanese plant is confined to the base of the fruit, while in the American plant it varii'S from a third to half the length of the capsule. The relative size of the mature calyx to the fruit ap- pears to vary, however, on cliii'erent individuals, 16 THE GARDEN. [July 4, 1891. and therefore does not aftbrd a character of much value. Siebold and Zuccarini {I. c.) found that the calyx was attached to the base of the fruit only ; Sir Joseph Hooker {Buf. Mag., t. 0059) found the same to be true on all the specimens he was able to examine, while Franchet and Savatier (/. c), on the contrary, remarked that " in all the specimens of H. japonica with ripe fruit that we have before our eyes the degree of adherence of the fruit to the calyx diflVrs from a quarter to nearly a half ; not one of them is attached by the base only ; and it is not possible to consider this pecu- liarity as a specific character." Franchet and Savatier speak of the flowers of the .Japan- ese and of the American species as identical, and it is possible, although hardly probable, that the flora of Japan may contain two species — one with the red calyx of the plant, which seems to be the only one cultivated in England.* It is interesting in this connection, as bearing, perhaps, on the tendency of Hama- melis to vary in the colour of its flowers, to note that I have recently received flowers of the American Hamamelis with bright red petals found on a wild plant in Maiden, New York State. Hamamelis japonica is described as a small tree in its native country. Here it forms a spreading shrub of straggling habit, 4 feet or 5 feet high, with stout ashy grey branches which are at first pubescent, but become glabrous iu their second year, and marked, like those of the American species, with small pale lenticels. They are dark green and glabrous above, and are coated on the lower surface with pale or rufous persistent pubescence, and are from 2 inches to 21 inches long by 1 inch or lA inches broad. The flowers are produced in subsessile clusters. The calyx is a quarter of an inch across, with lobes which are rounded at the apex, slightly ciliate on the margins, dull orange-yellow, and reflexed at the flowering period. The petals are strap-shaped, three- quarters of an inch long, and bright canary yellow. Hamamelis japonica grows very slowly here, and, from present appearances, will never be- come a tree. It is very hardy, and the first .shrub of the year to flower in the arboretum. The flowers are bright and cheerful, and their earlinf ss gives to this plant considerable value as a garden plant, apart from the botanical interest which is attached to it. The red- flowerfd form is not in the arboretum, but, judging from the figures which have been published of it, it is a desirable garden plant, and the most showy member of the genus. — Gtirdeii and Fiir<:si. Lathyrus varieties— How beautiful just now is a huge clump of Lathyrus Drummondi. It does not matter whether this be the correct name or not ; at least we all know what variety is meant. My big cluster is now covered with hundreds of reddish carmine spikes of bloom. The flowers certainly come more profusely each succeeding year. The variety tingitanus, flowers of which were exhibited at the Drill -Hall on the 23rd ult., should be an annual, and if it be true, is so. It, how- ever, closely resembles others of perennial habit, and seems near in appearance and character of flowers to grandiflorus. It is, however, a very tall grower, and bids fair to rival Scarlet Runners in height. The blooms on the main stems are in pairs, but on the side shoots come but singly. I have grown, but not to bloom this year, the comparatively little known heterophyllus, which has flesh-coloured flowers, and is an herbaceous perennial. The best known of all the famfly of the perennial type is latifolius, whether purplish rose, pink, white, or other hues of colour. One of the earliest and cer- tainly not the least beautiful is Lathyrus grandi- florus, whicli invariably produces its rich crimson flowers in pairs. Fine several year-old clumps of these hardy Peas roughly trained to branches in the summer make very effective decorative plants, and worthily merit a place in any garden. The hardy Sweet Pea is now of such varied and very beautiful form, that large clumps of these also in distinct colours form very attractive features. It seems strange that some effort has not been made to engraft the perfume and variations of colours of the Sweet I'ea upon such a fine perennial form as is Lathyrus grandiflorus. — A. D. Stove and Greenhouse. * This is the Hamamelis arborea of Masters {ll((r- deners' Chnmldc. IMH), 210, f. ;i8), whiclj is referred by Hooker to H. japonica. EOCHEA FALCATA. This plant is a succulent, indigenous to the Cape of Good Hope. It is one of a limited genus belonging to the Natural Order Crassulacea; ; hence it some- times bears the name of Crassala falcata. It is a low, small growing plant, with thick, blunt, fleshy leaves, produced in opposite rows on the stem, which is also of a fleshy nature. It can be grown so as to show it in a fully developed state in il-inch or 7-inch pots. The flowers are of an intense glowing scarlet colour with a dash of bright crimson. Few things, either large or small, with which I am ac- quainted have a more brilliant appearance. It blooms about the end of summer or beginning of autumn, according to the way it is treated in the matter of warmth. Through the winter and from the time in autumn when the weather comes chilly and damp, it should have a few degrees more warmth than ordinary greenhouse stock ; from -1(1° to 50° during this period keeps it safer than a lower temperature. If too cool both the leaves and the stems are liable to damp off, even when the plants are stood as near the ligho as they can be got. In common also with most subjects of a suc- culent nature, it likes a drier atmosphere in the winter than things in which the texture is more woody. Comparatively little water is likewise re- quired by the roots in winter, particularly if the temperature of the house in which it is located is allowed to get a little cooler than it likes, but this must not be carried too far, as the plant will not bear its roots drying to the extent that the Cactuses and Epiphyllums will, from which, though classed as a succulent, it is widely different. As a plant to stand in the front row of the stage in a warm greenhouse or conservatory during the month or six weeks in which the flowers retain their brilliant colour, few things of a miniature size are more telling, especially if a dozen or two examples are distributed amongst other small subjects. The plant is easily propagated from the leaves, which should be taken off entire. It is necessary to be care- ful in removing them that a clean cut is made so that they are not bruised. After being severed from the plant they should lie for a day or two on a dry shelf, so as to allow the moisture at the base to dry up a little. The leaves should be put singly into small pots filled with sand, inserting them about an inch. They may be struck at any time of the year, provided they are kept at something like an intermediate or a cool stove temperature. A good time to put them in is in the autumn as soon as the plants have bloomed, for then all the leaves may be used in this way, taking the tops of the plants with about two or three leaves attached and striking them separately. The tops will natur.ally make stronger plants than those that are raised from the leaves and will flower sooner. The out- ings should be stood where they can get as much light as can be given them and be fully exposed to the air of the house. If confined in a striking frame or under propagating glasses (i.c , tlie way necessary for most things) they are liable to decay. Water must be given sparingly, so as to only keep the sand slightly damp ; if it is as wet as reqiusite for most cuttings they are sure to damp. Treated in this way the cuttings will usually be well rooted in eight or ten weeks, after which they may be taken out of the sand, shaking the greater portion of it away, and put into pots of a, similar size to that in which they have been struck, well drained and filled with peat or good yellow loam, in either case adding about one-sixth or one-seventh of sharp sand. Young growth, if not already formed, will soon push from the base of the cuttings. Still keep them in moderate heat and stood near the glass. As the spring comes round with more light and solar warmth the growth will begin to move more freely, and more w.ater may be given. When the little pots are fairly filled with roots move them into others 2 inches larger. No stopping must be attempted, as the object is to have the plants confined to a single stem. Unless where more heat is used th.an is mentioned, the pots they are now in will in most ca=es suffice till the spring following. Through the winter give them the warmth already recommended, and early in spring move them into 6-inch pots, or if larger examples are wanted three plants may be put together into pots a little larger. Treat during the summer as before, giving them all the light and sun possible. No sh.ade should ever be used except it happens to be very bright when they are in bloom. As the summer advances the flower- stems will push up, appearing at the tops of the plants much in the way of those of a Kalosanthes. The weaker portion of the stock may not bloom for another year, in which case after wintering them in the way up to now advised, they may in the spring be put into pots an inch larger. These, after an additional season's growth will make much the finest plants, and produce proportionately larger heads of flower. Though this Rochea is necessarily slower to increase than plants that branch out freely and produce quantities of .shoots that can be made into cuttings, a considerable stock of it can soon be obtained from the leaves and tops of the stems. If after blooming, when the leaves have all been used in the way advised, the stems of the old plants are cut down to within about an inch of the collar, and they .are at once put into a cool stove, they will produce two or three shoots which should be grown on together. In the spring turn them out and shake away half the old soU, putting them back into the same pots with new material. Grow them on through the summer in the way advised for the ordinary stock. Plants of this description make more progress than such as are struck in the manner recommended, and will make strong speci- mens that will bloom well in about twenty months from the time they were headed back. T. B. Propagation of Aralias.— The opinion is rather prevalent, and especially so if we may judge from the article published in The Garden (p. 5iJ5), that the hothouse varieties Aralia Yeitchi and Aralia Yeitchi gracfllima are difficult to propagate from cuttings. Such is really not the case, for I have not the least difficulty in striking any of the varieties, at least such as those men- tioned above, with A. clegantissima, also A. Chabrieri, and, moreover, after being struck they grow into handsome plants. Excepting the Ust variety, it is of no use inserting the tops of the plants after these have probably grown too large or tall for general use, but if the tops of the plants are cut off, lateral growths will form, and it these are taken off with a heel after they have grown 'A inches in length, suitable out- ings which will form roots are obtainable. Instead of inserting the cuttings in small pots, they should be inserted in Coco.a-nut fibre refuse in a close, warm, and shaded propagating case, where if kept moist they will form roots, when e.ach should be potted in the compost used for these plants, and be grown on for a time in the same quarters. As stated in the article in question, handsome plants of A. Chabrieri- the lateral growths of which, al- though these root readily, do not branch— are obtainable if after rooted and established in small pots the tops are cut off to within an inch of the soil. In this way a break, which will grow into a plant, will be induced. The supposed difficulty of propaga- tion from cuttings is no doubt answerable for thete useful plants not being more often seen in private gardens, for with purchased plants these soon grow July 4, 1891.] THE GARDEN. 17 too large for the purpose of table decoration, and continually buying in is too costly where economy has to be considered. — A. Young, AVhcrley Hall. Concerning the propagation of Aralias (p. 5i>3), it is said that attempts have been made to propagate them, and especially A. Chabrieri, from cuttings taken of the extremities of the lateral branches. Farther, it goes on to say that even where successful such a method is of little use except for the production of plants from which grafts or cuttings may be obtained. Now my experience is that not only can A. Chabrieri be struck without any great difficulty, but that sym- metrical shaped specimens upon which the whole beauty of the plant depends can be obtained by this mode of increase. However, for some time after these side branches are rooted they behave in a rather peculiar manner, and grow horizontally, or nearly so, sometimes for a foot or more. Then after a while the plant will frequently cease to ex- tend any further in this fashion, but will push up a strong shoot near the base. This shoot will at once assume the character of a leader, mount upwards quickly, and produce the horizontally growing branches in a regular manner. When this leading shoot has made a little progress, the original por- tion, which is in many cases almost, if not quite, resting on the pot, may be shortened back, and finally removed altogether, thus leaving a young, symmetrically-shaped specimen.— T. LILIUM UMBELLATUM. Where flowered in pots under glass the present season has been a very favourable one for this group of Lilie.=,as they have opened beautifully, and owing to the comparatively cold weather have retained their freshness very much longer than usual, as a few hot days will suffice to change the colour of the blossoms to a dull reddish-brown liue. Another notable feature is that during mild seasons there is really very little difference in the time of open- ing between those in pots and in the open ground, but this year these last are so backward that where the plants have been protected in any way their flowering season will be past before those outdoors expand even their earliest blossoms. In the green- house they are best associated with some light coloured Sower.=. thus a group composed of these Lilies and Spirasas (either jiponica or the newer astilboides) is veiy pleasing, or various other com- binations might be suggested. The members of this group of Lilies are by s^me authorities regarded as hybrids between the Siberian L. davuricum and the old Orange Lily (L. croceum), and by others classed as varieties of L. davuricum. All the forms are largely grown in Holland, from whence they are sent to this country in great numbers during the winter months, and for various reasons are disposed of in considerable numbers. In the firi^t place they are cheap, next they may be depended upon to thrive in most places under anything like favour- able conditions, while, thirdly, they will be sure to flower well the first season after removal, which is more than can te said of some Lilies — L. Szovitzi- annm, for instance. For growing in pots these Lilies may be potted at any time when dormant, using for the purpose loam lightened by an admixture of leaf mould, well decayed manure, and sand. The size of the pots used will depend upon the purposes for which they are required, for one good bulb will suffice for a pot 5 inches in diameter, or a il-inch pot is usually large enough for the three, while by increasing the size of the pots and the number of the bulbs large masses may be obtained. In potting the top of the bulbs should, it possiljle, be kept a couple of inches below the surface of the soil, as the roots which are freely produced at the base of the flower stems are thus enabled to strike directly into the soil. When potted they may be stood anywhere, provided they ate just sheltered from the frost in a cold frame, or in a snug spot outdoors, where protected by a few ashes, leaves, or covering material of some kind they will succeed perfectly. Directly growth com- mences the ashes or other covering material must be cleared away, and if a succession of flowers is needed the earliest may be removed to a light posi- tion in the greenhouse, to be followed in a week or tvro by a few more. When the flowering season is over a good deal of trouble will be saved if the plants are knocked out of their pots without dis- turbing the roots, and laid in or rather planted in some suitable spot. The bulbs will then ripen and go gradually to rest in a far more equal state of moisture than would be the case it confined alto- gether in pots, while by this latter method con- tinued watering throughout the summer would be absolutely necessary. Useful, however, as these Lilies are in some cases when grown in pots, it is when planted in the open ground that they show their real character, and by means of them some pleasing features may be formed. They are admirably adapted for planting among low-growing Evergreens, as the large heads of bloom are very noticeable cropping up amongst the mass of foliage, while the slight protection furnished by the shrubs is very favourable for the Lilies themselves. Last year at Kew they were very beautiful treated in this manner, and at the present season they bid fair to be equally attrac- tive. There is not a very wide range of colour among the Lilies of this group, and the nomencla- ture of the different varieties is certainly most con- fusing, the names being frequently used almost indiscriminately. Four good varieties when they can be obtained true are grandiflorum, orange-red ; incomparabile, the darkest form of all ; erectum. a tall-growing plant with large cup-shaped blossoms ; and fulgidum, a bright glowing flower. These Lilies are all perfectly hardy, and under favourable conditions will, if allowed to remain undisturbed, form large clumps. Of late years, however, a dis- ease has been on the increase among Lily bulbs, the old Madonna Lily (L. candidum) being a fre- quent sufferer, whilst those of the umbellatum group are often attacked by it. I have seen clumps which had been undisturbed for years and that flowered abundantly every season suffer so much that though no traces of injury were visible at the time of blooming, tlie foliage died off a little sooner than usual, while the following spring scarcely any of them were visible above ground. The bulbs on e.xamination were found to be quite soft, watery, and of a peculiar green colour. Since then many instances of the same disease have come under my notice. It seldom seems to attack the allied L. Thunbergianum or elegans, though the other remarks above will apply with equal force to it, either as a Lily forflowering under glass or in the open ground. As the bulbs are much smaller .-.nd the plant altogether less vigorous, more bulbs must be put in a pot, while in the open ground the flower-spike will not over-top even the dwarfest shrubs, so that they should be planted in the foreground. There is a far greater range of colour to be found in the varieties of L. Thunbergi- anum than in the case of L. umbellatum, as the forms of the smaller Lily vary from light buff-yel- low to the deepest blood crimson, while they do not all bloom at the same time. As with the other, many of the forms of L. Thunbergianum are grown largely in Holland and sent to this country in con- siderable numbers during the winter, while large quantities are imported from Japan, among them a few forms that our Dutch friends do not seem to have yet taken in hand. Two cf the best of all the varieties of L. Thunbergianum are Alice Wilson, yellow, and Van Houttei, deep crimson, both of which were beautifully shown in a coloured plate in The Garden for November 8 last year. Other varieties, some of which can be obtained at a very cheap rate, are Prince of Orange, buff-yellow ; ful- gens, dee]! red ; biligulatum or lateritum, reddish brown ; pictum, yellow, splashed more or less with crimson ; and venustum, which is remarkable from the fact that it does not flower till all the others are past. It is rather taller growing than the rest of them, while the blooms are of a clear ledcish apricct colour, very like these of the Japanese L. Batemannia;. Two of the most distinct forms ot L. Thunbergianum sent here from Japan are omen- tum or hiematochroum, the blooms of which are of deep blackish blood-red tint, a very uncommon and richly coloured flower. The second, robustum or guttatum, has its prominent features well ex- pressed by these two varietal names, as it is the most robust of all of them, while the spotting of the flower is far more pronounced than in any other variety of L. Thunbergianum. The flowers of this are large, of a rich orange colour, and copiously spotted with brown. I have heard this Lily spoken of as a hybrid between some form of L. Thunbergianum and L. umbellatum, but I should be inclined to re- gard it as doubtful, for among other reasons I have never seen L. umbellatum itself sent here from Japan, even among the Lily mixtures which are sometimes utilised to fill the required number of cases. H. P. A VEGETABLE MAN-TRAP IN AUSTRALIA. There is in cultivation a small white-flowered greenhouse shrub named Bauera rubioides, which belongs to the Saxifrage tribe. It is a native of Australia and Tasmania, and is quite an innocent- looking little plant ; yet in some parts of its natice country it is said to have sometimes caused the loss of human life. The following account has been furnished by two gentlemen residing in Tasmania, both of whom have been entangled in its meshes, and only escaped with great difliculty. My friend, Mr A. J. O. writes as follows : — The Baupra is not a creeper or climber, but only a plant that is weak in the legs, having a very thin stem so flexible that it usually supports it elf against its neighbours, growing up arrd hecoming entangled with them. A Bauera scrub often commences very insi- diously, so that a person not used to it may find him- self in the thick of it before be knows where he is, for at the oirter edge of the patch the plant grows only as an erect little plant about IS inches high, while in the very heart of the scrub it may reach 10 feet or sometimes even 'l\i feet high. As you get into the thick of it you find it a more and more tangled mass, till you become at length so enveloped in it as to ren- der movement almost impossible. Ynir cannot cut it with an ax-*, because it yields and offers no resistance to the blow, and even when cut with a knife or hill- hook, the confused mass of tangled rope-like stems falls more closely about you. All you can do is to struggle and flounder on to your speedy exhaustion. More jver. you cannot see where yt^u are going, ar d may be within a few yards of the outside of the i)atch without knowing in which direction to go. Another gentleman who knows the plant well, and who once only escaped from its embraces in a state of utter exhaustion, gives the following account: — A really good specimen of Bauera scrub occupies the whole of the ground, having either smothered the other vegetation, or having covered ground oLce cleared by hush fires, and usually on low-lying ground. In the gullies leading down to such places it grows mixed with Tea tree and large tussocks of cutting Grass, and here you can force your way through it, though never easily. It is where it occupies nearly the whole ground that the real trouble is. The Bauera throws up from the roots, which grow pretty thickly together, a number of slender stems up to about half an inch in thickness and tapering very gradually. These are interlaced with one another in all directions until the whole becomes one compact mass — if one can ap- ply such a term to what has no solidity. I have seen it growing in this way to a heijjht of 7 feet or S feet, the stems being as plialilc as a cart-rope and almost as ditlicult to break. Of course, a track can te made through Bauera scrub by cutting it with strong knives or billhooks, and then tearing and treading down the cut portion as you go on, but to the solitary hushman or explorer it is urost ftirrnidable. He will perhaps try to wriggle along the damp ground under it, but he soon finds Ibis to be impossible ; then he tries to tear the stems apart and struggle through When lie is exhausted with this work he will perhaps climb up some eld stump, and try to tluunder along the top of the scrub, hut he soon sinks helpless into the yielding mass. The most extensive and densest Bauera scrubs are found on the cold damp soils derived from the Silurian aud Cambrian schists and clay slates of the west of Tasmania. These accounts are interesting as showing what different forms the same plant may assume when growing under different conditions. The species here referred to is found in all Sout hern and Eastern Aus- tralia as far as Queensland, but it is only apparently in the damp soil and climate of Western Tasmania that it attains the luxuriance of growth here de- 18 THE GARDEN. [Jui.Y i, 1891. scribed, and becomes a real danger to the solitary traveller, who may become heedlessly caught in its tangled meshes. A. R. W. Books. SKETCHES OF VILLAGE BUILDINGS.* Tdis is a little book concerning the beauti- ful buildings which happily adorn many of our villages in the south of England (Surrey, . Sussex and Kent), and each when well done is amongst the snugfe;iest as well as the most charming .summer buildings that exist. Wher- ever we travel we never see anything quite so pretty as the English cottage garden, and some of its beauties are undoubtedly owing to the cottage. We have nothirg but praise for the book, but plans might easily have been given in connection with the subject, which would have made the work all the more valuable. There is nothing of the false and over-decorated in the illustrations given. They are simple cottages of the genuine sort. The following is an extract from this excellent little book : — Lodges, another form of cotiage, are en too pre- tentious a scale. They should in no sense compete in character or imporiance with the house to wijich they lead. The smaller and lower, within reason, they can be made the better, and if the accommo- dation can cocveuiently be had on the ground floor without spreading out the buildicg too much, this will generally look the best. It is well for a lodge to look quiet, comfortable and consistent, and to have more of the character of a cottage than a house. It is deplorable to see the hopeless effect and waste of money in the case of many modern lodges. The first idea seems to be a desire to have something very pretty, and ideas worked out on this plan are mostly unsucce.-sful. There used to be a wholesome principle that nothing of this kind ever looked right unless it carried on the face of it, in a simple and business-like way, its main object and purpose. There are lodges so pre- tentious and lofty as to be almost mistaken for the house to which they lead, and where often the inhabitants are far too important to think of opening the gate, except, perhaps, to " the family." When built, they are sometimes found so large that some very superior person is put in upon the understanding and hope that the gate will be at- tended to, but, except for the master or mistress, they are much above their work, and strangers may call " Gate, gate," until they are hoarse, and even- tually have the pleasure of opening it themselves. Few things are so unsatisfactory as these preten- tious places and people ; whereas a consistent, quiet, and well arranged lodge always looks well, and should be made by its very appearance to give a kind of welcome. The usual habit of importing and planting all manner of Kirs and shrubs, which in course of time grow up and make the approach road more like the entrance to a cemetery than a house, is very objectionable, whilst nothing can look more suitable and lovely than the natural trees and wild shrubs of the district— Beech or Oak, Elm or Ash, Dog Rose, Hawthorn, Gorse, wild Brier, with the lovely tangle of Travellei's Joy, and the rest. All these properly treated will give far more pleasure than the best selected specimens in the world, very well in their place, but not here. Anything that takes away from the natural feeling of the landscape or country and suggests the idea of dis- play can never look right or give satisfaction. An entrance through a covered gatewav, with lodge attached, always gives an old-fashioned dignity and comfortable character. The gate can be opened more readily under cover, and there is more of the feeling of protection from the outside world. The use of iron gates and railings for an entrance lodge rarely looks well, unless done on a good scale and leading to a very important house ; even then, however good the design may be, the effect gives a cold and draughty appearance. When the railing is mounted in the ridiculous way so common now for small, cheap villas, cemetery tombs, and lodge entrances, it, as a rule, looks simply repulsive, and costs often more than a stone or brick wall or an Oak cleft fence, either of which would answer every end required with far more consistency and dignity. It is better to expend money in extra substance of walls than in anything having display for its object. NOTES OF THE WEEK. • " Sketches of Village liiiildiriga from Designs." liy Jas. Williams. London : Beutley and Son. Heuchera sanguinea.— This does remarkably well in the rock garden here. Its pleasing flowers form a nice contrast to the other inmates of the rockery. — T. B F.. Sfanh'it Hall (iardeus^ Briihjnortlt. Large Veronica Hulkeana. — Mr. Greenwood Pirn sends \is a photograph shov\ing a remarkably tine specimen of this Veronica. It is in fine bloom and muTit be very etfective. Peach Hale's Early.— I forward a fruit of Hale's Early. Itisa fine sort both f..-r indoors and out- side, and while it always crops well, the fruit grows to a good size and is of good flavour. — H. iI.\RivHA3i, Meren-orth CaKllc. *#* Large and of good flavour ; better in this respect than the general run of market Peaches. — Eo. Plovs^ers from Berwick — I send you blooms of Pnlemonium Kichardsoni var. Eergusoni flor. alb. raised by Mr. Ferguson, of Dans. It is very dwarf, and true to the P. humile character. You will al-o find (lerauium pratense fl. albo, Vicia sepium (Bush Vetch) fl. albo. These I found growing wild. — C. Stuart, Hillside, Cldrnside. Calceolaria plantaginea. — Herewith I enclose you a small x^ieco of the above Calceolaii-i. It forms a very p etty group in the lierbaceous border in front of tiller subjects ; it is also a very useful plant for tlie rockery. The plant is perfectly hardy in this cold dis- trict, having withsfcord the past severe winter un- harmed.— RoBEKT Elliott, Harbottle Castle, Both- hnnj, y.rrthuinherland. A fine Rubens Rose. — I send you a photo- graph which I took on the 12th ult. of a Rubens Rose in flower at Malwcod. I'nfortunately, the background of red brick rather spoils the picture, as, indeed, red always does in photography. The large-leaved plant on the right is the Eriobotrya japonica (the Lcquat of Madeira) which has weathered the winter well. We had the thermo- meter once as low as 5°.— L. V. Harcourt, Miihvood. »„* A very interesting photograph, which we hope to engrave, showing a many-flowered plant of this Rose.- Ed. "What is the purple Sage P— Mr. Alfred Parsons, who is making the journey from the Black Forest to the Black Sea, writes thus on June 27 : " We have had a lovely journey so far good weather, fine scenery, pleasant companionship, and masses of flowers everywhere. The Iwigged Itobin and Knotweed in the upper part of the liver made the meadows quite pink. Why do not we have plenty of that fine purple Sage in England 1 Every- where here it grows plentifully, and is quite a new note of colour. On the rocks by the river are big clumps of Cheddar Pink. Geranium sanguineum, bright blue Veronica, and Saxifrage with dusty rosettes of leaves and long heads of yellowy white flowers. We have been sleeping' out of doors in our canoes drawn up on the banks and are suffer- ing nothirg from sunburn. Cypripedium spectabile in the open bor- der.— I send you a spike of the pretty Nurth Ameri- can Orchid Cypripedium spectabile. This is one 'of twenty-seven spikes furnished by one plant grow- ing here in the open border. A> out sixteen years ago I made a little border 2 yards square, taking away the ordinary soil, which was of a light gravelly nature, and filling in with a mixture of peat and loam. I then put in one plant of Cypripedium spectabile; this took kindly to the soil and kept on increasing. No one need be afraid to try and grow this interesting plant in the open border it he will only use plenty of peat and loam, and keep the plant liberally supplied with water during the growing season. I also grow Cypripedium parvi- florum in the same border, and had eleven beauti- ful spikes on one plant this season. I may just mention that the Epipactis americana grows most luxuriantly under the same conditions, and I have some diihcnlty in keeping it within reasona^de bounds.— Thos. B. Fikld, Stanh-y Ball Gardens, Jlrhhjnortli. *„* A handsome spike, the flowers large and the foliage remarkably vigorous and healthy.— Ed. Odontoglossum cordatum.— I beg to for- ward f )r your inspection, in a separate box, a spike of Olontoglossum cordatum which has recently opened with me, and would ask you kindly to say whether it belongs to any named variety, as the flowers appear to be more richly coloured than the type.— C. B. L. S. * ^* The flowers appear to be those of a good variety of the plant named, richly coloured, and of good size. A very much darker form is figured in Bateman's work on the Odontogl jssums. It varies considerably in the colour of its flowers. — W. H. G. Flowers from Langport.— Messrs. Kelway and Sons send us from their nurseries at Langport some very handsome forms of Delphiniums and Pasonies. Of the Delphiniums, very fine were Felix, deep blue, veined purple, large white eye ; Her- mione, semi-double, azure, ard pink ; and W. H. Smith, blue, veined rose, semi-double. A great advantage of the Delphinium is that a long succes- sion of bloom may ba had. 'I he colours of the Pa3onies ranged from pure white to purple-crimson. The most striking of these sent was Sainfoin, of a beautiful self rose colour. There ii no more showier or more effective sulj?ct than the Pieony in its many colours for the herb.iceous border, large beds, or for planting on the margins of shrubberies. Styrax japonica.— We send for your inspec- tion a spray if Styrax japonica cut from the original plant introduced about twelve years ago. The plant is 10 feet high and 8 feet through at the base, and has stood the severest winters we have h.ad since its introduction without the slightest injury. It is now literally covered with its chaste and fragrant blossoms. - Jam lis Veitch and Sons. *^* The effect of a large bush of this, its white flowers like tiny bells hanging abundantly on slender stalks, must be seen to be realised. It is one of the most beautiful shrubs we have ever seen. —Ed. Mp.sdevallia Davisi.— This species has always been highly valued by lovers of Masdevallias on account of the exceptional colour of its flower.-', which are generally of a bright canary-yellow— a shade not often seen in this, or indeed any class of Orchids. One of the largest plants we have hitherto seen was sent to the Drill Hall meeting on June 23 from the Barford Lodge collection ; it was in the best of health and bore thirty or more fully expanded flowers. The species was originally dis- covered in 187:') by Mr. D.ivis, one of Messrs. Veitch's collectors, on the Eastern Cordillera of Peru. It is found at elevations ranging from 111,500 feet to 12.000 feet above sea level, and is therefore essentially a mountainous plant— few Orchids occurring at higher altitudes. It is de- sciibed as growing in crevices of rock where Moss and other decaying vegetable matter have gathered. Although plentiful enough on the particular area where it was fir.-t found, its natural range is veiy restricted and entirely confined within the altitudes above given. The leaves are ti inches to S inches long, thick and leathery in texture, the base beirg narrowed into a petiole. The scapes stand clear of the leaves and bear a single flower, which is from 1 inch to \\ inches broad and :! inches from the tip of the upper sepal to those of the lower ones. The species shows considerable variation in colour, the deepest coloured ones being orange-yellow, whilst othersare of a light primrose-yellow. It re- quires tlie same treatment as M. Harryana. Griselinia littoralis. — I see in a late number of The Gaudkn a request for some information about the Griselinia littoralis. In this neiglibour- hood - clce to the sea— it grows with great luxuri- ance, making in the course of a few years bushy plants from li feet to 10 feet high, covered from the July i, 1891.] THE GARDEK. 19 ground with glossy evergreen leaves of a peculiar lively green colour. Its flowers, emerald-green, are very numerous, but it does not seed with us. Sj far as I know, it will flourish only close to the sea, but there it stands both wind and spray better than any other shrub. Nothing short of a hurricane seems to vex it. It is easily propagated ; slips root in our light soil almost I'ke Willows. It bears any amount of clipping, but left to itself, as it ought to be, it assumes after a few years a very graceful form. In a very short time it will cover a wall on which Ivy cannot live. I have tried many plants cf it in inland gardens, but they have refused to grow or almost to live there. It is said to come from Southern New Zealand, butabont this I have no sure knowledge. The Pernettja mucronata of much lower growth seems to be almost equally hardy close to the sea. A hedge may be easily made of it by breaking up two or three old plants, which in a few years will be 4 feet high, if carefully clipped ia spring. It affords an excellent shelter, and in winter its bright berries are very cheerful. The Esoallonia macrantha is by no means so hardy as the Griselinia, but it grovs here to a great size, 10 feet or 12 feet high, and it has the advantage of many and beautiful flowers. With us slips are inserted when a hedge is needed for shelter, and most of them root and grow without more trouble. Perhaps I should add that in this clinate Camellias and Myrtles grow and flower when trained on a wall without any winter covering, and with them many other half hardy plants. Last winter killed our Geraniums even when trained on a wall, bat through other winters they have often stood almost unhurt. -NoKTH AyRSHiHE. Raspberry prospects.— These were not sufli- ciently far advanced to be injured by the May frosts, and I have never seen them look better. All have broken strongly, and from the top to near the bottom the canes are well furnished with strong branches heavily set with fruit. Suckers are baing thrown up with the greitest freedom, but those who do not neglect their Rispberries take good care that too many of these are not allowed to re- main to s nother each other and crowd the fruiting canes. That sturdy growing, he.avy cropping, large-fruited variety C.artst's Prolific is the favourite here, this doing remarkably well without stakes or supports of any kind. — II. H. Royal Horticultural Society.— The exhibi- tion of small fruits and conferences will be held on Tuesd.ay and Wednesday, July 7 and s next, in the ga'dens at Chiswick. Medals and money prizes are offered in the following classes - eighteen bunches of hardy perennials, distinct; twelve bunches of hardy perent'ials, distinct : eight bunches of hardy perennials, distinct ; six dishes of Strawberries, dis- tinct, not less than thirty fruits to a dish ; four dishes of Strawberries, diftinct ; one dish of Straw- berries ; coUecti >n of Raspberries ; collection of Currants ; two dishes of ripe Gooseberries, distinct ; six dishes of green Gooseberries, distinct ; new plants and flowers ; new fruits and vegetables ; three dishes of Peas, twenty-four pods each, of Sharpe's Sir F. A. Millbank, Sharpe's Queen, and Shirpi's Triumph ; six varieties of Gaillardias, five blooms of each (silver Kelw.ay medal). On Tuesday the conference on hardy summer-flowering peren- nial plants will commence at 2 p m., and the papers to be read are as follows— (ipening addre.ss by Mr. W. Marshall, chairman : " Some Results from Wild Gardening," by W. Robinson, F L S ; "On Some of the Summer Flowers of my Garden," by the Rev. H. Ewbank, MA.; " Herbaceous Plants," by the Kev. A. Rawson, M A. ; " The Picture=que of Plardy Sim- mer Perennial Plants," by Miss Jekyll ; Mr. Potter (of Messrs. Backhouse, York) has also been asked to read a paper. ( )a Wednesday the conference on Strawberries, Gooseberries, Raspberries, Currants, and other small frui's will also commence at 2 p m., and papers to be read on that occasion are an open- ing address by Mr. G. Bunyard, chairman : " S'r.aw- berries for Private Gardens," Mr. W. Allen ; " Strawberries for Forcing." Mr. G. Norman ; " Gooseberries for Private Gardens," Mr. D. Thomson ; " Gooseberries for Exhibition," Mr. C. Leicester ; and " Raspberries," by Mr. G. Wjthes. The patent Fruit Evaporator will be at work from 12 to 2 o'clock. Fruit and vegetable cominittea awards — Your recent report of the proceedings of this com- mittee of the Riyal Horticultural Society is in error in stating that a Cucumber exhibited from Farnham received a certificate of merit. It was proposed that a certificate should be granted to it, but the votes for and .against were equal. A second putting of the question by the chairman showed that seven were for the certificate and eight against. Thus the certificate was not gr.anted. No doubt the sample of Cucumber shown was a meritorious one, but I could not see in what respect it diflfered from or w is superior to some others already in cul- tivation. Those who have seen such forms as Lockie's Perfection, for instance, must .admit that only simething truly remarkable could excel it. Somehow we have made little progress in Cucum- bers, an! rarely see of long forms such perfect fruits .as were the e.arlier ones of Tender and True, for instance. With .all the Ion? fruiting kinds short necks are rare ; with the shorter fruits they .are common. Gre.at fruitfulness is also common, and there is no chance that we shall ever find Cucumbers that will be more free bearers than plenty known in commerce for the past twenty years. A Cucumber may exhibit revival of some of the best qualities of older sorts, but it is hardly new any the more, and the award of a certificate of merit is usually held to indicate novelty, im- provement, and undoubted merit. Very few indeed of the newer Cucumbers of to-day show these features, because we seem long since to have made our Cucumbers as good as they can be, only often the best features of a v.ariety are badly preserved. It is easv, of course, to be impatient in making awards of certificates, but it is far easier to be free in granting them. Only very superior sterling merit should be recci";nised. — A. D. to the purchase to the extent of £500 an acre, but the Vestry wanted them to increase the amount and pay half the cost of laying out. The com- mittee thought they might contribute £1875 to- wards laying out the ground, but to this Mr. Be,aohcroft moved and Mr. Myer seconded as an amendment that the request be acceded to con- ditionally on the purchase and laying out being completed and the ground being opened to the public within a period of twelve months. This was agreed to and the committee's proposal rejected. Public Gardens. Gardeners' Orphan Fund.— The committee met at the Hotel Windsor on the 2Gth ult., Mr William Mar.-hall in the chair. The balance at the bank was stated to be £501 IGs. 2d. The secretary reported he had received a good number of collecting cards returned from the national collection, and there w.as every prospect it would result in a considerable addition to the fund. The quarterly allowance to the thirty-nine children on the fund, amounting to i'12i; 15s., was ordered to be paid. The details of the Rose fan- and floral fete at the Crystal Palace on July 15 were arranged. Many promises of support have been received, also of gifts of Roses for sale, and groups of plants to add to the attractions. Arrangements for special facilities of tr.ansit are being made with the rail- way companies, and there is every probability that the success the committee so much desire will be secured. OBITUARY. St. Jarnes''s Parish Churchyard, Clerken- well. — An i'lterestinsr aud necessary addition was made to tbe number of public recreation spaces hy the open- ing, on Tupsday, of St. James's Parish Churchyard, Clerkenwell. The tombstones have been carefnlhy covered oyer, and an area of about an acre arouud the church laid out in a very tasteful manner, at an ex- pense of tlOOO, while seats and benches were given by the Metropolitan Public Gardens Association. Chelsea Hospital Gardens.— The Marquis of Ripon has given notice to ask the Paymaster-General on Friday whether he can give any assurance that the gardens of Chelsea Hospital shall at the close of the present Naval Exhibition revert to their former use as pleasure grounds freely open to the public ; and that no part of the land scheduled iu the Act " Heorge IV. chapter llj, shall he diverted from this purpose. Eavenserofc Park.— The finance committee reported that by the Metropolitan Board of Works (Various Powers) Act, 1887, the Vestry of Hammer- stnith was required to contribute towards the cost of this park a sum not exceeding one-half of the cost. The amount expended was 1:58,875 7s. 7d., and the Vestry having paid .£29.001) on account, there was a balance now due from them of ,t428 ISs. !)d. As it was not expected that any further disbursement would be required, it was agreed to ask the Vestry to pay the balance. Proposed open space at Fulham. — In February last the I'.irks and Open Spaces Com- mittee reported upon a letter from the Vestry of Fulham, stating thjit they were desirous of pur- chasing for the purposes of an open space some land lying at the corner of Crown Lane and Ful- ham Palace Road, and that the Ecclesiastical Com- missioners, who owned the land, were prepared to accept £1250 an acre for the property. The Vestry asked the Council to contribute one-half of the cost, they undertaking the future maintenance of the ground. The committee had ascertained that I the land was worth .£1500 per acre, and that an open space was greatly needed, having regard to the rapid increase of building oper.ations in the Sir George M^cleay.- We learn that Sir George Macleay, of PendelK'ourt,Bletchicgley, Sur- rey, and Elizabeth Bay, Sydney, died at the Chalet des Rosiers, Mentone, on Wednesday, June 24 in his eighty-second year. He was a son of Ale.xan'der Macleay, formerly Colonial Secretary and Speaker of the Legislative Council of New South Wales. For his puslic services to that colony, as well as for assisting in Au^t^alian explorations, he was created a C.M.G. in l.^^Uti, and .advanced to K.C.M.G. in 1S75. To horticulturists Sir George Macleay was chiefly known for his collection of rare and remark- able plants at Pendell Court. This garden has been for many years one of the riche.t near London in ha-'dy and rare p'ants generally. The plate which we to-day issue with The Gakden was from flowers grown there. Verbaseum phoenioeum is the kind alluded to "?, -,?'"■•, J'AKD.-x of June 27, p. 588, under the name or \ . phlomuides. — A. H. Crickets in Mushroom house —How can I best destroy crickets in a Mushroom house ? Poison has been successtully applied on one occasion, but chickens and even dogs managed to get piisoned too for the crickets died outside the Mushroom house.— H. C. Names of plants.— J\rar7i,-»gfon.— A species of Cnryanthes, probably a form of C. maculata but all colour has g..ne.--.4mn(e«r.-A form of Cattleja Mendeh.-- J II ,U,amsnn.-l, Saccolabium retusum • i ML f-j liroiightonia sanguinea ; 3, some species ot I hohdota, perhaps imbiicata-one would require lo ses the plant when in flower. /. Tliomps,,,, _] La;lia elegans, an ordinarv dark form ; 2, Cattleva intermedia ; .3, Cattleya Mossia>, a good form but nothing extra ; 4, Epidendrum Grahami. J!. iV s --A very da'k coloured and good form of (idoiiloi glossuni hastiLibium. G. Craqq.~\ form of Epi dendrum selligerum. K Il'.-^i, Oncidium divarii catum ; 2, O. Krameri; 3, Odonti.-l, a. remarkably good form of OJontoglossum crispuni, and well shaped ; 2, Odonto. glossum triumphans ; .", Cattleya Mendeli' ■ 4 c" Schilleriana. T. W. ,?.— 1, Aerides Veitcbi'- "' Saccolabium curvif.dium ; :{, Clei-ottoma llnata. ' ~' .v.— 1, Cuphea fulgens ; 2, Euphi.rbia characias • .3 Spirfea callisa ; I, Pernettya mucronata (■) ; 5, Salvia officinalis; 0. Chnis>a ternata. M. J.— SnUx pen tamlra. P.— I, Allium siculum ; 2, Iris graminea ' 3, Centaurea nigra; 4, specimen got Jc-trnycJ send another; 5, Geranium pratense (?) ; C, Rubus odo- ratus. E. Gos/i')i|;.— Please send in fruit. Ju ;^;ghb^:;h;;::^r''^;b<;;;;;;u^^'^'^tSb":iK''''*»°'^™« ^™^'^"«= ---^'^ inawnc^of 20 THE GARDEN. [July i, 1891. WOODS AND FORESTS. TREE PLANTING IN PARKS. Sufficient attention is not directed to park planting, with a view to render the landscape scenery picturesque and varied, when marginal masses, young plantations, clumps, or groups are being formed in new parks ; it is also neces- sary from time to time to fill up blanks in park plantations occasioned by high winds or the de- cay of trees, if a succession of healthy growing timber be desired throughout the c juntry. Be- fore selecting the subjects to form the principal masses, it is essential to have some knowledge of the trees most suitable to the various condi- tions of soil, geological formation and climate. As a general rule, it is the safest and perhaps the wisest plan to plant the park belts, marginal masses, and the larger clumps and groups with those trees that are found to thrive best and develop into the finest timber in the locality where the planting is intended to be carried out. Trees suitable for forming the principal masses in the park may be divided into two classes, thus : Oak, Eliu, Lime, Horse and Sweet Chest- nut trees, for rich loam and clay soils and some- what sheltered sites ; Beech, Sycamore, Norway Maple, and Birch trees for thin poor soils and on exposed sites. Among Conifers (though not strictly park trees-), the common and other Sil- ver Firs, the Douglas and Meuzies Spruces, and Pinus austriaca, Laricio, Benthamiana, Jeffreyi, ponderosa, macrocarpa, and many other hardy aod tall-growing varieties may be planted on the declivities of hills in groups amongst the marginal masses to give variety, contrast, and shelter ; they can also be planted in groups to form a background to deciduous trees or prominent hills in the distance to break the hard, level, sky outline. The best and at the same time most pleasing and picturesque effect in park planting can be produced by grouping with distinct species bold, sweeping masses of different sizes and irregular shapes, to avoid giving similarity in size and form of groups of each dii-tinct kind of park tree, and by planting smaller groups of the newer and more beautiful varieties of each species in front of the common sorts, distributing these latter at wide and irregular distances apart from tree to tree, so as not to add a stiff and clump-like appear- ance to the larger masses. In a judicious arrangement of groups, ornamental trees, both dwarf and tall, should exhibit a different outline to the eye on every side, and although they should be planted at wide distances apart to allow every tree sufficient room to develop its special features of habit and foliage to the fullest extent, yet these, when viewed at a distance, should blend into one group. Clumps of park trees are generally round or oval in shape, and mostly planted on prominent knolls. They should be comjiosed of one distinct variety or species. Groups of dwarf trees may be ad- vantageously used to soften down abrupt out- lines of clumps. Mixed groups of fine-foliaged and flowering trees, of silvery and dark foliage, of rich autumn-tinted and the more quiet coloured, the round headed with the fastigiated forms, and the weeping with the irregular or oblong forms, should be tastefully distributed throughout the park, advantage being taken of the undulating surface by planting the groups on the rising ground, leaving the hollows or valleys to form grassy glades. These latter may occasionally be broken when too great a breadth of Grass is visible, by planting groups of dwarf trees in the foreground. Thorns and other dwarf trees should also be planted near carriage drives, and on each side of sharp curves or park roads and drives in scattered groups of various sizes from a triplet to a score or more. These dwarf tree forms, when planted ju feet or •1 feet wide, by 3k feet in depth. With the warm weather coming upon us drainage of plantations, where such is necessary, might well be taken in hand, as it can be more effectually prosecuted then than at almost any other season. A. D. W. RUSTIC SEATS FOR WOODS. These ought to be good and durable and look as natural as possible. Eor the purpose I know nothing better than setts, whether portable or fixed, made of peeled Oak boughs from Ij inches in diameter up to -1 inches or 5 inches. Such miterials are plentiful at this season, and they ought to be collected and stored in a diy place where the men can use them in stormy weather during the winter and on wet days. Crooked and straight of all sorts should be gathered, as every piece will come in useful. Straight thick pieces provide the framework for the seat ; the large bent elbows make arms and legs in one piece ; the straight smaller pieces provide the cross-bars for filling in the seat bottoms laid close together, and the crooked pieces make the backs and fronts. Mostly all our seats in the woods are made of these materials. Some hold only one person, and can bs lifted and moved about ; some can hold seven or eight easily, are also portable ; and some placed round old tree trunks and at walk-sides hold many more. Ordinary woodmen make and repair them all, and it is surprising how soon a handy man will put a large chair together. In putting a seat round a large tree trunk, the arms and legs, consisting of one piece with a good round knee, are set up first ; next the bearers are put in between back and front, and the seat-bottom filled in with the small pieces laid across and sawn off flush with the bearers. Then the back, pretty well elevated — perhaps to the height of the shoulders or head— is constructed of what re- mains, mostly crooked pieces placed crosswise with e.ich other, just as they come in, and topped with a stouter frame of the same pattern. The result is always a rustic-looking, comfortable, and capacious seat. No man who is the least handy need hesitate to construct a seat of this descrip- tion. Given the materials, which, it promiscuously gathered and plentiful are sure to be right, he has only got to decide the dimensions and begin, and as he proceeds bit by bit he will find the task easy enough. General symmetry of appearance need not be neglected, but uniformity in the correspond- ing parts is neither necessary nor desirable. Per- haps such seats look most natural when not painted or stained in any way after they get weather- beaten, but a coat of tr.ansparent varnish annually makes them last longer. At this season we go over all the seats and repair them where neelful, and in this way they last for ever. As for those places of public resort— that is, in places open to the public certain days in the week— the seats are of .-impler construction and stronger, consisting generally of a stout tree-trunk cut flat by the axe on one side andnailedontotwoupright pieces — one at each end — sawn off and set on end. On any new seat of this kind the visitor at once begins to inscribe his initials with a knife, but the structure is too stable to be much affected by such carving^ Y._ "The Garden" Monthly Parts.— ThU joumat is pub- tUltai in iHdtli/ bound Monthli/ Varts. In this foi'm the coloured ptates am best preserved, and it is most suitable for reference previous to the issue of the half-yearli/ volumes. Price \s. ad. ; post free. Is. 9d. Complete set of volumes of The GAHVF.ti from ils commencement to end of IS'.'O, thirty-eight vols,, price, cloth, £-1^ As. "Gardening Illustrated" IVIonthly Parts. — 7'A,.s Journal is published in neatt// bound Monthly Parts, in irhirh form it is most suitablefor re.lereni-e pvtvious to the issue of the 'leavh/ Tolunies. Price 5d. ', postfrle seasons, they also suggest that it is not always wise to de- pend solely upon two or three varieties. Un- limited collections of varieties are certainly not commendable, but it is seldom the best policy to put all the eggs in one basket. It is not often quite young plantations stand out Si) pre-eminently the best as they are doing this season, and if the present showery time (1 am penning this on June 30) lasts much longer, the most supei ticial observers will be convinced that old is another name for unprofitable plants. As I have frequently pointed out, the youngest plants are invariably the first to show flowers, and if not caught by frosts will usually give ripe fruit a week ahead of plants one year or more older. This being so, two -year -old plants ought never to bo tolerated ou a raised sunny border, and rather than keep such I have re- peatedly dug them in or cleared them ofl', and replanted the same site with strongly-rooted runners. It is not the biggest or strongest plants, of Noble especially, that are the earliest to produce ripe fruit, and if they are planted in close succession to Potatoes on ground fairly well manured for the latter, that is all the pre- paration necessary. Nor is there anything gained by growing them so very strongly in the open. When the leafage is so coarse the fruits, even if plentifully produced, which, however, is not always the case, are at a decided disad- vantage, especially during a wet season. In the open fields the clusters of fruit are thrown out well clear of the foliage, and ripen surely accord- ingly, but in far too many private gartlens the foliage is very ccuispicuous, and not enough of the fruit is seen. Heavily manuring and deeply trenching ground may be advisable in excep- tionally hot and dry positions, and also if it is thought absolutely necessary that the plants should bo preserved four or live years. More often than not, however, there is no necessity for or wisdom in making such elaborate and ex- pensive preparations for Strawberries. Three clear seasons are ample from most plants, and very frequently it pays better to root them up after proilucing either one or two good crops of fruit. Fine fruits are generally preferred, and it is from young plants that these are most surely obtained. A loose, deep and rich root- run is more conducive to the formation of luxu- riant foliage than to the production of much fruit, and if the best results attend planting on firm and comparatively poor ground, why should private gardeners persevere, as many un- doubtedly do, ill the former practice / Better by far bo content with sturdy top-growth, feed- ing the jilants from the surface when the founda- tion of a heavy crop of fruit is laid. They ought to be treated more like winter Broccoli than Asparagus, and unhesitatingly cleared off wlien they have done good service. Thick planting, coupled with an extra liberal preparation of the ground, are mistakes common enough, the usual result of this being a maxi- mum of foliage and a mininiiiin, or, at any rate, a comparatively poor lot of fruit. Every plant July 11, 1891.] THE GARDEN. 27 should have a clear space all round, this being ad- visable in any season, and most imperative in wet summers. On narrow warm borders, where the plants are to fruit one season only, tliey ought to be arranged not less than IH inches apart each way, 20 inches being none too much for extra strong earlj got-out plants of Noble. One of the latest writers on Strawberries recommends planting in bods, three rows in each, with alleys 3 feet to 4 feet wide between, and for small gar- dens the plan answers well. In this case the rows of plants should ho arranged from 18 inches to L'O inches apart, the same distance dividing them in the row. For this plan several ad- vantages are claimed, foremost among these being the ease with which all the necessary Seedling, and Dr. Hogg, 18 inches dividing the plants in the rows. Such moderately strong growers as .James Veitch, Auguste Nicaiso, Sir Charles Napier, President, John Powell, Sou- venir de Kieil', British (,>ueen, Latest of All, Eleanor, and Frogmore Late Pine should bo di.sposed 18 inches apart in rows 30 inches apart, while tlie more robust Sir .Joseph Paxton and Helena (iloede ought to bo not less than 2 feet apart in rows 'M inches, and on extra good ground 3 fe-^t apart. W. lotJULDBN. CULTIVATED BLACKBERRIE.S. Selected Brambles pay well for cultivation, and none so much so, in my estimation, as the Parsley- leaved variety (Rubus fruticosus lacinia- Variegated Blackberry in fruit in pot. work can be done, and the fruit gatliered with- out trampling among the pl.ants or fruit, and last, but not least, the greater likelihood of the fiuit ripening than is the case when there are no clear spaces at short intervals. The " three- row system," if eommend.-ible for small gardens and amateurs generally, is not the best where large open breadths of garden or field space can be devoted to Strawberries. In the latter cases all that is necessary is to grow on the level, arranging the rows from 2 feet to 30 inches apart, according to the known vigour of the respective varieties. The less distance may well be given to Alice Maud, Marguerite, Keens' tus), this being one of the oldest and best known in the section. Fully a quarter of a century ago I had some experience with this remarkable Blackberry in a Sussex garden, and nowhere else have I seen it doing nearly so well, or plants of any other cultivated variety to ap- proach it. A high wall facing nearly south and well exposed to the sea breezes, though fully three miles from the coast, was devoted to it, and in this position it grew surprisingly strong, the young growths Jieing fref|uently 12 feet in height, while the older or fruit-bearing canes gave a profusion of grand clusters of fruit, plenty of them 2 feet in length, the berries equalling in size the largest Raspberries. Not only were these I'lackberries much appreciated as a dessert fruit, but they were even more esteemed in pies in mixture with Plums or Apples, and for making into jelly. Being grown against a wall, the fruit naturally commenced to ripen much earlier than is the case when grown in the open, the season extending from August till November. Since that time I have taken note of several attempts to grow select Bram- bles, many being made live or six years ago, or when the American introductions were so largely advertised, but there are far more failures than successes to chronicle. Only once have I met with a row of really strong plant.s grown Raspberry fashion, but 1 could point to several garden rustic archways profitably covered with selected wild Brambles, and also others with the Parsley-leaved variety. Hereabouts the American varieties are comparative failures. Brambles do not appear to transplant so readily as their hardy, free-growing character would lead us to expect, ami subjecting them to rough-and-ready treatment at the outset is the primary cause of many failures. Not a few liave put out strong canes and commenced fruiting them at once. This they will respond to in a fashion, but the same thing happens with them as in the case of Raspberries simi- larly treated, viz., they form no fresh sucker growths, and without these, future supplies of fruit need not be expected, especially seeing that the old canes branch so weakly the first season as to be of no further value. Compara- tively small plants, or those obtained by peg- ging down the points of the young growths to the ground where they root quickly, are the best to start with, but if stronger canes are planted these ought to be cut down to near the ground, the better to promote a stronger sucker growth. Walls, fences, trellises (i feet high, and stronger than Raspberries require, archways, and stout isolated poles are all suitable for training against, and in each and every case a deep, freely manured root-run ought to be provided. Starvation treatment answers fairly well in the case of well-established wildings, but it will not do for cultivated varieties. On shallow, poor ground they will survive and perhaps give a moderate crop of small fruit, but it is only on rich, moisture-holding ground that a good start is made and a strong fruitful growth is main- tained, and if this cannot be provided by any other moans, a wide and deep trench ought to be m is concerned, but not beyond that, as the blooms are too heavy for the shoots that bear them, and fall over on their sides. Duchesse de Vallorabrosa, Fisher Holmes, Ulrich Brunner, General Jacqueminot, and Mme. Victor Ver- dier are all first-rate, and serve to show that we can find enough distinct kinds to make some pretty groups in beds or borders. Among Dijon Teas, Bouquet d'Or is doing well and flowering freely, but two other kinds were not a success, owing without a doubt to the fact that they were moved last autumn, and instead of being pegged down they should have been cut back. However, they are making good shoots, and next season will prove them. A bed of Moss Hoses is very charming, and they are better this the third season of pegging down than they have ever been before. A group of a dozen or more plants of Blanche Moreau, the best white Moss Rose in existence, is producing hundreds of buds and blossoms ; we have been cutting them fieely for the past fortnight, and still they come. There are many places aljout our gardens where Roses might be grown in the manner here suggested with manifest advan- tage, and profitably as well as with pleasure. By the means here advocated we may increase and enhance the beauty and profuseness of bloom of many fine kinds, whether new or old, provided they are naturally hardy, vigorous, and free. A. H. Rusa polyantha. — Three years ago I planted some o£ this upon a steep slope and close against some bushy Yew trees about 12 feet high. It is now a pretty picture, as the long Rose shoots have reached to the top of the Yew, whilst the side branches are wreathed in clusters of blossom. The flowers of this Rose are not larger than those of the common Bramble, but they are effective be- cause profusely borne in large branched clusters. They are white, with a cushion of golden stamens in the centre, and their fragrance pervades the air for yards around. The Yew serves another useful purpose besides that of giving support. The Rose tarts into growth very early and would suft'er from ^ate frosts if exposed, but the budding shoots have 'good protection from the branches of the Yew. The dark foliage of the Yew also enhances the eflect of the Rose when in flower. This species is best known as a useful stock for Tea Roses, but it is well worth growing for its graceful beauty and charming fra- grance.— A. H. TEA ROSES UNDER GLASS. Of the great value of Tea and Noisette Roses for house culture there can be no two opinions, but when we come to discuss which are the most profitable, differences of opinion naturally arise. Mareohal Niel has so long been pre- eminent, that it seems little short of heresy to write disparagingly of it. That it is a grand Rose for the roofs of greenhouses and conser- vatories there is no disputing, but I maintain there are others far more serviceable and equally as beautiful. For a time, it may be several years, the Marcchal grows strongly, rankly in fact, if rooting in a moderately well made border ; then comes a sudden change, the dreaded and apparently incurable canker having set its mark upon the tree, and the collapse, whether sudden or gradual, is yet in- evitable. In some cases it is possible to root it I afresh at the joint where the canker takes place, but it often happens that the part of the stem affected is too far away from the border or pot in which the tree is rooting to be soiled over, and so induced to make a fresh start. Another way out of the difticulty is to be constantly planting youjig trees to take the place of the older ones when these fail. Those who are successful with Marcchal Niel doubtless derive much pleasure, and, in the case of those who market surplus flowers, a certain amount of profit from the trees, but, unfortunately, there is only one crop a year to be had from healthy trees, a long succession only being had by means of forcing plants in pots and retard- ing others on the roofs. There was a time when this Rose was exceptionally profitable, good prices being had for the blooms early and late, but now-a-days only the earliest blooms fetch about 33. per dozen, while what may be termed the main crop cannot always be got rid of for half that price. Market growers of my ac- quaintance have this season cleared some of their houses of Marcchal Niel, and either planted other varieties of Roses or else Toma- toes, this being suggestive enough. After a round in medium-sized gardens, or those, say, where greenhouses are few in num- ber, one might be excused for arriving at the conclusion that Marcchal Niel is the only variety of Rose worthy of being cultivated under glass, so very rarely are any other forms to be met with. No matter how sickly the trees may be, every attempt is made to keep them alive'; whereas they ought long ago to have been rooted out, and replaced by other trees of the same variety, or, better still, of some other good Tea or Noisette Rose. For button-holes, nothing much surpasses Safrano. This serviceable va- riety, planted out in narrow borders, and trained thinly over the roof of a warm green- house, grows strongly, and is constantly flower- ing, at least four good crops being had in the course of a year. A strong tree that I have in a moderately warm greenhouse gave us several dozens of beautiful buds in .January, another and much larger crop in March, and a third lot of blooms has also been cut. The tree will be well attended to in the way of watering and feeding at the roots, a little shade and frequent syringing with soapy water being given, and all buds removed during the summer, and it will then give us two crops in the autumn. The colour of this Rose is a rich apricot-yellow, and it is a great favourite with most people. William Allen Richardson, a Noisette of free growth, also does well on the roof with similar treat- S8 THE GARDEN. [JCLT 11, 1891. ment to Safrano, and produces even more richly coloured buds ; but, on the whole, it is not so generally serviceable and profitable. Mme. Falcot, of somewhat similar habit to Safrano, and very beautiful in the bud and half open states, is of a delicate yellow colour, and might well be grown either on the roof and against back walls, or else as a bush in pots. If a larger yellow Rose is required, a trial should be given to Etoile de Lyon. I have recently cut some grand blooms of this variety, and can re- commend it either for pillars, back walls, or pot culture, but should not advise anyone to devote roof space to it. In a neighboring gar- den the old Gloire de Dijon shares a house with Grape Vines, and every spring large num- bers of perfect blooms are cut from it. Not nearly enough white Roses are grown in private gardens. They are always serviceable. Surplus blooms can be sold at a good price at any season of the year, choice pure white flowers for covering roofs. Lamarque, a Noisette, can- not, strictly speaking, be termed a white Rose, but grown under glass the blooms are nearly white, and pass well as such. It is a grand old Rose, of very free growth and distinct foliage, and it ought to be much more extensively grown under glass, the roof trellises being the beat position for it. Devoniensis also suc- ceeds admirably trained near the glass. It can be cut with long stems, these adding consider- ably to its value. Coloured Roses ought not to be overlooked by those intending to plant under glass, and there are two or three Teas that rival some of the best of the Hybrid Perpetuals. The former, it is almost needless to add, are by far the best for house culture. Souvenir de Therese Levet is perhaps the richest coloured of all the Teas, this being of a deep rosy-crim- son, and very beautiful in a bud and half-open state. Its habit of growth is likewise very satis- factory, and it may be depended on to flower A Guernsey stone etile. frequently realising better prices during the \ summer than at other times. A few years ago the choice of varieties was almost limited to Niphetos, and this is scarcely robust enough for roof culture unless grown on its own roots, and induced to push up strong suckers. Now, how- ever, we have the climbing Niphetos, and this promises to become exceptionally popular, and not a misnomer, like the Climbing Devoniensis. It is a strong grower, yet very free flowering, while the l)loom8 are large and pure white, being in fact an exact counterpart of those of the type. This variety ought to be planted in both greenhouses and conservatories, and is suitable alike for back walls, pillars, and roofs. In The ijride we have another grand white Tea Rose, this being a sport from the popular Catherine Mermet, and resembling it in every respect other than the colour of flowers. It is more suitable for pillars and back walls than almost continuously, eitlier on the root or against walls or pillars. Duchess of Edinburgh is of much the same colour, and of good, free- growing, free-flowering habit. Mme. Lambard will succeed well in any position, no Tea being more free- flowering. It is bright red in colour, the buds being most valuable. Reine Marie Henriette, the red Gloire de Dijon, is not so free-flowering as could be wished, and I would plant either of the three last-mentioned varie- ties in preference to it. Adam and Catlierine Mermet are both fine flesh-coloured varieties, the former being best for roofs, and the latter for pillars and walls. On their own roots they are constant flowering. Anna Olivier, pale pink and bufl', a very charming Rose, is also I admirably adapted for house culture, and suited , to either walls or pillars. All would succeed well for two or throe years in large pots, but give far less trouble and are much more profitable when planted out in nar- row borders, in a soil composed of three parts of turfy loam to one each of leaf-soil and well- decayed farmyard or stable manure, with char- coal freely added. When this soil becomes exhausted, liberal top-dressLngs of manure and loam and frequent supplies of liquid manure must be given, everything being done to keep the plants in a free growing state, as it is not possible to have them too vigorous, the most luxuriant shoots branching and flowering freely, the grandest blooms being obtained from these. While outdoor Roses are plentiful, those under glass should have all their buds early pinched of}', the aim being to promote a strong wood growth to produce blooms during the autumn, winter, and spring months. Mddew is best kept down by using one of the advertised pre- ventives in the syringing water occasionally, this being more effective than flowers of sul- phur, and a free use of the syringe will keep down red spider and green-fly. Trees on their own roots are much to be preferred, as these are constantly throwing up strong suckers, which, in time, should take the place of worn- out old branches. Unfortunately, such cannot be bought, and the only way out of the diffi- culty is to buy worked plants and propagate from these. Cuttings of half-ripened shoots, or those from which blooms have recently been cut, taken ofl with a heel and shortened to about three joints, are the quickest to root. Insert these singly into 2^-inch pots ; plunge in brisk bottom-heat ; keep shaded and pro- perly watered till rooted ; gradually shift into larger pots ; keep all growing in gentle heat ; prevent blooming. By these means good flower- ing plants will be had. — Fid J. SHORT NOTES.— SOSES. Rose Lueiole, one of Guillot's many striking additions, is now magnificent, every shoot producing a long, pointed, erect bud in which the shades of car- mine-rose and copper-yellow commingle and vary in dejjth and intensity, producing indescribable effects of colour. Not the least of its merits is its amazing freedom, even upon newly-planted bushes. Rose Comtesse de Frigneuse is now in fine form, and shows none of the quartering or splitting defects which the writer of a note in tlie last volume of The Garden thought that it possessed. The great drooping yellow buds are very tine and deliciously fra- grant, and the full expanded flowers are greater still, ijuito too much for the slender shoots which bear tliem to support. Rose Jean Bucher.— This grand Tea Rose, which last year hardly gave us a flower, has this year been in tine form, thanks to a week or ten days ot hot dry weather when the buds most needed it. It is such a full flower that nought but bright sunshine will open it. Although uncertain, it is worth growing, even if we do only now and again have it in perfection. The colour variations are lovely and often indescribable — yellow deepening into apricot, and shaded with salmon and pink. The Seven Sisters Rose (Rosa Grevillei). — I am led to believe that this delicious, but modest Hose is now all but lost. It so, " more's the pity." Possibly it may exist under another name. I should, at any rate, Ite glad for the information. The peculiarity is some- what implied by the pretty name. The small, but double-crimson Roses and buds are produced generally in sevens. I had a few bunches sent the other day, and I am sure that lovers of old Roses would be glad to add this where it docs not already grow. — J. \V. K. Rambling Koses. — The more one sees of these the more one is charmed with the effect they pro- duce. We have them growing here with good effect on an old thin-leaved Holly. The shoots hang loosely over some water, and when full of bloom the effect is charming. Equally beautiful are these growing over an old Ivy-clad archway of rough stone, and here they are literally a mass of bloom. On aniintal as these are in both situations, I think they are outdistanced in simple beauty when seen growing out from a background ot green Ivy July 11, 1891.] THE GARDEN. ;19 as they are at the present time on my cottage. The large trusses of white flowers against the deep green are most efiective. By the side we have a mass of the evergreen Honeysuckle full of blos- som— J. CnooK. A STONE STILE IN GUERNSKV. SoMB thinf,'s not tlesignod specially for tlieir beauty often turn out very beautiful. The farmhouse strictly made for its use is often in the end the most picturesque of houses. So, again, the cultivated country in England is often more beautiful than any .setont grounds. In Guernsey stiles are often very pretty, and the stile always should bo a beautiful thing, especially when set in wild Eoses and Ivy, as it often is. A very beautiful thing even by the side of the English roads and also in Wales and the mountainous parts of England are s]>rings beside the road set in Ferns and garlanded with Ivy. Such thing show us that beauty often comes in sinqil ways, and that it should be our effort ti work for such results when we have tin chance. of Fisher Holmes, Ulrich Bmnner, and Sophie Fro- pot. For Tea-scented Roses in twenty-four varie- ties, single trusses, Mr. Prince was an excellent first wich splendid blooms, Rubens, Bellefleur d'Arijnu, The Bride, Souvenir de S. A. Prince, Mrs. Jas. Wilson, and Innocente Pirola being noteworthy. For eighteen singles in variety, Mr. Mattock was first with fine flowers of Mme. Willermoz, Mme. H, Jamain, and others— Messrs. Burrell ic Co., Paul & Son, and Charles Turner also competing. For twelve single blooms of any one variety, except Marechal Niel, Mr. B. R Cant was first, with fine flowers of Mme. de Watteville ; Mr. Prince second, with The Bride ; Mr. Mattock next, with Hon. Edith GifEord ; and Mr. C. Turner following with Catherine Mer- met. With eighteen trebles Mr. Prince was again first with another fine lot of flowers, the best being those of Princess of Wales, Souvenir de S. A. Prince, and Catherine Mermet; Mr. Mattock coming second, and Mr. G. W. Piper, Uckfield, third. Societies and Exhibitions, NATIONAL ROSE SOCIETY. Crystal Palace. July 4 Owing to the lateness of the season the present fixture wa? without doubt some few days too early for many flowers. The show, on the whole, was an excellent one, but not equal to some of its prede- cessors. NUESEEYMEN. In the large class for seventy-two .'^ingle trusses distinct, the first prize was won by Mr. B. R. Cant, Cjlchester, who this year appears already in good form. His best blooms were Prince Arthur, Earl Dufterin. Cheshunt Hybrid, Marie Baumann, Dupuy Jamain, Pride of Waltham, Efnile de Lyon, Annie Laxton, Mrs. J. Laing, A. K Williams, A'iotor Hugo, Comtesse de Nadaillac, La Boule d'Or, Mme. Cu>iD[ Innocente Pirola, and Niphetos. Messrs. Paul and S)n, Cheshunt, were second, in whose collection the following flowers were noteworthy : Her Majesty, Sultan of Zinzibar, Sir Rowland Hill, Jules Finger,' Etoile de Lyon, Mr.-=. John Laing. Henri Ledechaux! Catherine Merraet, Innocente Pirola, Rubens, The Bride, and H.P. Gu^tave Piganeau, the last being adjudged the best Rose from among^it the trade clasf es in the sho w, thus winning the silver medal of the National Rose Society. The third prize was awarded to Messrs. Prior and Sm, Colchester. For forty -eight trebles Mr. B. R. Cant was again placed first, his best flowers being Nijhe- to^ Mme. Cusin, Mme. de Watteville, Innocente Pirola, Ulrich Brunner, Dupuy Jamain, and Vii lette Bouyer. Messrs. Paul and Son took the second prize, their best blooms being those of Her Majesty, Marquise de Castellane, Prince Arthur, Saltan of Zanzibar, Mme. Montet, and Niphetos. The next class for forty-eight singles was a well-filled one (eight competing), Mr. Mount, Canterbury, being placed first, having fine blooms of Prince Camille de Rohan, A. K. Williams, Niphetos, and Souvenir d'Eiise Vardon. Mr. Bnrch, Peterborough, came second, with good blooms of Xavier Olibo, Mors. Noman, Captain Christy, and Mme. Willermoz. Mr. Prince, Oxford, was third. Mr. Mount was also fir.^t for twenty - four singles, his best blooms being those of Her Majesty, Engeae Furst, and Xavier Olibo. Mr. Mattock, Ox- ford, was second, Horace ^'ernet being conspicuous. For twenty-four trebles, Mr. Prince won the first prize amongst seven competitors. His best flowers were Duke of Teck, Viscountess Folkestone, Sou- 1 venir de S. A. Prince, Princess of Wales, and The Btjde, Mr. Monnt being second with good hloonjs ' Amateues. In the large class for forty- eight single trusses, Mr. Lindsell, Hitchin, was first, his boxes contain- ing fine flowers of Lady Mary Fitzwilliam, Xavier Olibo, Duke of Wellington, Dupuy Jamain, Cathe- rine Mermet, Boule d'Or, and Marie Van Houtte ; Dr. Budd, Bath, coming in a good second, his best being St. George, Alfred Colomb, Francois Michelon, Xavier Olibo, Marie Baumann, Countess of tlxford, Lady Sheffield, and Mme. Clemence Joigneaux ; Rev. J. H. Pemberton was third. For sixteen trebles, Dr. Budd was first, showing Marquise de Castellane, Marie Baumann, Abel Carriere, Etienne Levet, and Mme. Gabriel Luizet in fine form ; Mr. Lindsell this time being second, his best blooms being Dr. Andry, Lady Mary Fitzwilliam, and Caro- line Kuster. For thirty-six singles. Col. J. H. Pitt, Maidstone, was first, showing splendid blooms of Viscountess Folkestone, Etienne Levet, Mrs. Baker, La France, and Marie Finger ; Mr. Haywood, Rei- gate, was a good second, having fine flowers of Mrs. J. Laing, Countess of Rosebery, Mrs. Laxton, Etienne L-svet, and Pride of Reigate. With twelve trebles Mr. Haywood was first, and Colonel Pitt second, both showing strongly. The class for twenty-four singles was a good one, Mr. A Tate, Leatherhead, being first with fine flowers of Xavier Olibo, Duchess of Bedford, Jean Ducher, Horace Vernet, and La France. The second prize was awarded to Mr.-!. Waterlow, Great Doods, Reigate. In the box of twelve singles to which the first prize was awarded to Mr. Knight, was found the finest bloom amongst the amateur classes, this being one of General Jacqueminot. For those who have not previously competed, two classes were provided, Mr. Devereux, Steyning, being first for twelve blooms, also receiving the bronze medal ; his best flowers were Pride of Reigate, Cleopatra, and Mme. Lambard ; Lord Penzance being placed second. In a class for twenty- four singles, Mr. Tate was again first, also being awarded a silver cup ; his finest flowers were those of Horace Vernet, Xavier Olibo, Ulrich Brunner, Louis Van Houtte, and Mme Cu- sin. For Roses grown within eight miles of Char- ing Cross, Mr. Bateman was first. Rev. J. H. Pemberton took first prize for six new Roses, and Mr, Kuight and Mr. Tate were placed equal first for twelve single trusses of any Hybrid Perpetual variety, the former staging Duke of Edinburgh, and the latter La France. Teas and Noisettes were well shown by the ama- teur growers. For eighteen singles, Mr. A. H. Gray, Bath, was a good first, with an excellent all-round lot of blooms, winning also the challenge trophy. Rev. H. I'.erners, who was second, had a grand bloom of Comtesse de Nadaillac, Mr. Haywood coming in third. For twelve Teas, Mr. Lindsell was first, winning also the silver medal. Mr. A. H. Gray following. With nine Teas Jlr. Orpen was lir&t.and -Mr. Tate second. In the latter stand was found the finest bloom from amongst the amateur growers in Mme. Cusin. With twelve trebles, Jlr. Gray was again first. In this stand were Mme. Cusin, Marie Van Houtte, Souvenir d'un Ami, and JIar(5chal Niel in excellent style, Rev. H. Berners being second. Open Classes. Niel, Mr. Prince was first with Comtesse de Nadaillac. For twelve whites, excepting Niphetos, Messrs. Dickson, Newtownards, Ireland, took first with Mar- garet Dick'iOD, a fine new Hose of their own raising, Mr. A. H. Gray being second. For twelve of any crimson, except Marie Baumann and A. K. Williams, Mr. B. Cant was first, and Messrs. Paul and Son second. For twelve of any dark velvet crimson as Prince Camille de Rohan, Messrs. Low and Co. were first, and Mr. Prince second. For twelve of Mar(?!- chal Niel Mr. A. H. tlray was first, and Mr. B. R. Cant second. Fortwelveof MarieBjumann,Dr.Budd was first, and Mr Chas. Turner second. Dr. Budd also tak- ing first for twelve blooms of Mrs John Laing. Messrs. Paul and Son took first prize for A. K. Williams, and Mr. B. R. Cant for Niphetos For any Hybrid Perpetual not specially named, Mr. Turner was first with La France out of 17 competitors, and Dr. Budd second with the same variety. For twelve of any new Rose, Messrs. Dickson were first with another box of Margaret Dickson, and Messrs. Wm. Paul and Son second with White Lady. For twelve distinct new Koscs, Messrs. Paul and Son were first. With nine singles of any new Tea or Noisette, the first prize was awarded to Mr. Prince for Souvenir de S. A. Prince. For three single trusses of any new seedling Rose or sport (distinct), Lord Penzance showed Rob Roy and Roger Wildrake (large blooms), also a box of seedling Briers; Messrs. Paul and Son showing H P. Charles Gater, a bright crimson ; Messrs. A. Dickson and Son Marchioness of Dufferin, a pale pink. Messrs. Wm. Paul and Son showed Mungo Park and Zenobia, both Moss Roses, H. P. Spenser, and Tea Corinna. For thirty-six bunches of garden Roses, Messrs. Paul and Son were first with Polyantha Simplex, Blanche Moreau, Grace Darling, I'ldeal, and others; Messrs. Cooling, Bath, being second. For twelve Roses suitable for button- holes, Mr. Mattock was first with an excellent assortment. Messrs. Wm. Paul and Son also showed an excellent collection of Roses in pots and cut blooms, which made a fine display. Miscellaneous exhibits consisted of a magnificent group of Begonias from Messrs. Laing and Sons ; herbaceous plants (cut) from Mr. T. S. Ware and Messrs. Barr and Son ; Roses from Messrs. Cheal and Sons ; Pansies from Messrs. Dobbie and Co, Rothesay. Begonias were also sent by Mr. T. S. Ware. Messrs. Carter and Co. showed a collection of Cacti. A full prize list will be found in our advertising columns. ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. This exhibition consisted of by far the greater part of hardy herbaceous flowers in season ; these were shown by the well-known trade growers of these plants in profusion, making a most effective as well as a most interesting di-play. Fruits consisted chiefly of Strawberries. Owing, however, to the lateness of the season, the appointed time for the conference was at least a week too early, the rains of the past few d.ays militating against the flavour in a most decided manner. Floral Committee. Awards of merit were made to the following ex- hibits : — P^ONY Mme. Emile Gallb.— A pale blush variety, very full and of good substance, a useful addition to its class. Messrs. Paul and Son. Veronica anomala. — A dwarf-growing variety having small white flowers freely produced. This should be a valuable plant for the rockwork and margins of shrubberies. Messrs. Paul and Son. Prunella Wei!I)IANa — .4 handsome bordcrplant with showy spikes of flowers of a rosy violet shade, quite distinct. Messrs. Paul and Son. EsCALLONiA E.xoNiENSis. — A hybrid variety with somewhat small flowers. The plant is remarkable, however, for the freedom with which it produces these, the branches being closely studded with blooms of a pale blush colour. Messrs. Veitch and Sons. Delphinium Robin Adair.— A distinct kind 5'or twelve blpoqfis of any yellow e3?cept Mardohal ' amongst an alreftdy numerous class, with bright 40 THE GARDEN. [July 11, 1891. bine flowers, the spikes dense and vigorous. Messrs. Kelway and Son. MiMULUS CUPREUS Pbince Bismabck.— This is an exceedingly dwarf variety, and one which flowers most profusely, the blooms being of a rich crimson. Messrs. J. Laing and Sons. GoDETiA White Peakl. — A pare white variety of much promise with satiny flowers, the plant of medium habit. Messrp. Carter and Co. C'EN'TACREA Ci'ANUa NANA CO.MPACTA. — This is a most interesting plant, of extremely dwarf growth with quite miniature flowers of a deep blue shade. It should prove useful as a hardy plant for edgings or for rockwork. Mr. Herbst. Begonia Mrs. Faulkner — A rich yellow double-flowered variety, very deep and full, the habit excellent. Messrs. Cannell and Sons. Pink The Rector.— A distinctly beautiful va- riety, the ground colour a pure white with an even margin or band of a rosy shade. Mr. C. Turner. Rose Reinb Blanche.— A single variety, very distinct and of much promise, to all appearance a free-flowering kind ; the flowers are when fully ex- panded of a blush white, the reverse of the petals having a rosy shade, more apparent in the buds. Mr. B. Ladham, Shirley Nurseries, Southampton. A botanical certificate was given to Mr. T. S, Ware for Lilium maritimum, a small-growing variety with bell-shaped flowers of a dull red colour. Messrs. Paul and Son had a most extensive dis- play of an extremely comprehensive character, con- sisting of selections of all the be»t things in season. Pseonies were shown in first-rate variety, Delphi- niums also being well represented, one variety named Britannia being a decided acquisition. Lathyrus rotundifolius, a free variety with pale scarlet flowers ; Spirsea aruncus, Cephalariaalpina, a sulphur-coloured Scabious ; Potentillas in variety — Wm. RoUisson, an orange-scarlet, one of the best ; Ttialictrums, &o., were also included (silver-gilt Flora medal). Messrs. Laing and Sons also had a fine display of all the best known types of hardy garden flowers in great variety. Tufted Pansies were conspicuous, so also were border Carnations and Pinks of the best early kinds, several good varieties of Iris being also included, with a good selection of Campanulas, &c. A Sweet Pea named Blushing Bride is a promising new variety. Rosa rugosa was also shown here (silver-gilt Flora medal). Mr. Thos. Ware had a collection which included several ex- cellent varieties of Liliums, the best being L. pom- ponium verum, L. columbianum, L. colchicum, L. pulchellum, L pardalinum, L Washingtonianum, and others. A very promising border Pink, named Her Majesty, a white variety of the best type, was also shown in good condition (silver Flora medal). Messrs. Kelway and Son had another of their col- lections, this one being particularly strong in Del- phiniums, which were staged in almost endless variety. The following good things were prominent in the mixed group : Scabiosa caucasica, Cephalaria lutea, Veronica margaritacea, Thalictrum aquilegi- folium, Iris aurea, Crinum Macowani, and fine flowers of Iris Kaempferi. Messrs. Veitch and Sons also showed a choice collection, consisting of the best kinds of Delphiniums. Several good varieties of Potentillas were also shown, KoUissoni, a double yellow, and splendens, a dark single, being two of the best. A very fine flower of Os- trowskya magnifica which was exhibited was over 5 inches in diameter. Eight flowers were borne upon the spike from which it was taken (silver Flora medal). Messrs. Barr and Son showed a good collection, consisting of Delphiniums, Campanulas, Poppies, Eryngium giganteum, and other kinds in season (silver Banksian medal). An interesting collection was also sent from the Royal Gardens, Kew, several varieties amongst which were not ex- hibited in other groups. Some of these were Chrysogonum virginianum, rich yellow ; Perezia multiflora, pale blue ; Cosmos bipinnatas, Layia heterotricha, and varieties of the alpine Dianthus. In the competing classes,;Mr. Hodges, of Lachine, Chislehurst, was first for eighteen varieties of hardy flowers ; Mr. Sage, Ham House, Petersham, being a good second with a well-arranged group. For twelve varieties, Mr. Marshall was first with a choice selection, including Epilobium angustifolinm. Lych- nis vespertina fl-pl.. Campanula A'an Houttei, Delphinium Horus, and Astrantia major ; Mr. Chadwick, Hanger Hill House, being a very good second. Messrs. Veitch sent several baskets of new and choice flowering shrubs, including Philadel- phus microphyllus ; Escallonia pterocladon, of dense growth ; E. Philippiana, a miniature variety, very free; Andromeda speciosa crassicKfolia, and A. c. pulverulenta, both very fine forms of the type with long spikes of white, bell-shaped flowers, and a plant of Gerbera Jamesoni. If this proves to be hardy, which it is thought it will be, it will be a decided acquisition. Mr. Leach sent several bunches in good variety of Alstrcumerias, which, when properly managed and presented as in the present instance, are most valuable for cutting. Mr. Charles Turner exhibited some promising seedling Delphiniums and several good forms of Pinks, as Ophelia, Boiard, Minerva, and Piincess Louise. Mr. R. Dean, Ealing, staged a variety of the useful border Finks, a very superior strain of Campanula Medium calyoanthema, and Stocks Mauve Beauty and Princess Alice. Mr. Anthony Waterer sent bunches of late kinds of hardy Aza- leas, the colours being quite distinct from those of the usual Ghent kinds, and also the early-flowering mollis. Mr. Laxton had promising white border Pinks in Stanley and Marchioness of Salisbury, the former being the better of the two ; Lady R. Churchill, with dark maroon centre, was distinct in its way. Other Pinks were sent by Mr. Ladham consisting of useful garden kinds. Orchid Committee. But few things were shown at this meeting, the most interesting being some bunches of Orchis maculata cut from plants grown in a north border, clearly showing the value of this beautiful hardy flower for cutting. These came from the Dowager Marchioness of Huntly's garden, Orton Hall, Peter- borough, and consisted of several most distinct forms. Cattleya.=, also the new Grammatophyllum Seegerianum with an adventitious flower-spike upon a newly imported plant, were shown by Messrs. Seeger and Tropp. Suflioient, however, of the Grammatophyllum was seen to show it to be a dis- tinct variety. Angra3cum caudatum and Odonto- glossum caudatum sulphureum were sent by Mr. Wigan, and from Mr. Prewett, Swiss Nursery, Hammersmith, came a distinct form of Aerides maculosum with a much-branched spike. Fruit Committee. The chief exhibits put before this body consisted of some superbly grown Queen Pines from Mr. Coomber, Hendre, Monmouth. These were awarded a silver Banksian medal. A bronze medal was voted to Mr. Watkins, Hereford, for some well-pre- served and highly coloured Apples. Dumelow's Seedling was as fresh as at Christmas, Duke of Devonshire and Farmer's Seedling being also in fine condition. A first-class certificate was awarded to a remarkably fine bunch of B.ina- nas, possessing well-flavoured fruits with very thin skin. It is a variety known in Fiji as Lady's Finger. This was shown by Mr. Fitt, Panshanger Garden.«. In the competing classes for Strawberries, Mr. Sage was first for si.\ dishes, with fine highly-coloured fruit of the best sorts ; Mr. Chadwick being first for four dishes, having an ex- cellent dish of British Queen ; and fir.'.t also for a single dish, with Sir Joseph Pa.xton. For six' dishes of Gooseberries, Mr. Palmer was firsit, and Mr. Gil- bert second, with good fruits. The Currants shown call for no remark, and Raspberries were not ex- hibited at all. Two large boxes of fine fruits of Strawberries Noble and Sir .Joseph Paxton came from Mr Leach, Albury Park ; they had. however, met with a severe shaking in transit. Mr. Leach also sent some good Peaches. From Mr. Gilbert, Burghley, came a Strawberry called Chief Secretary, which the committee thought bore a close re- semblance to very superior fruits of Sir .Joseph Pax- ton, which when placed beside them gave that impres- sion. Mr. Collis showed the latter kind in good condition, also a seedling variety. Several very finely-grown Melons were contributed by Mr. Pon- tin, Woking; these were of extra size— Golden Perfection, s lbs. ; Conqueror. 10 lbs.; Sutton's Triumph. 7^ lbs. ; and Golden Triumph. 7 lbs. weight each. A very large and excellent assortment of Sirawberries. finely grown, both plants and picked fruit.", came from Messrs. Paul and Son, and a smaller lot from Mr. Geo. Bunvard, both having specidl reference to the papers of the Wednesday upon the same. The conference on hardy summer-flowering pe- rennial plants was held on Tuesday. The weather, unfortunately, was very unfavourable, and there were few visitors to listen to the interesting papers read. On Wednesday a conference was held on Strawberries. Gooseberries. Kaspberries, and other small fruits, and papers relating to the subject were read. GARDENERS' ROYAL BENEVOLENT INSTITUTION. The Right Hon. Joseph Chamberlain presided on Thursday evening at the 52nd anniversary festival of this institution. The Chairman, in proposing the toast of " Con- tinued Success and Prosperity to the Gardeners' Royal Benevolent Institution, now in its 52nd year,coupled with the name of Mr Harry A'eitch, trea- surer," said : " Three years ago I was honoured with an invitation to be present at a similar gathering, but to my great regret, and at the last moment, I was prevented by indisposition from putting in an appearance ; and I confess I am thankful to the com- mittee for having given me another opportunity of performing what I regard as at once a privilege and a duty. Gentlemen, I suppose we may differ greatly upon many questions, but I think, at least, I may assume that we are all united in our interest in, and our love of, horticulture. Under these cir- cumstances I do not mean to make any defence of our favourite pursuit. It has provided rest and brought happiness to many of the greatest and wisest of the land. Statesmen have found recreation in it ; philosophers have commended it ; doctors have prescribed it ; lawyers have advocated it, and poets have sung its praises. The great Lord Bacon, who devoted one of his essays to the subject, said ' the cultivation of flowers is the purest of human plea- sures, and the greatest refreshment to the spirits of men.' He did not think it at all beneath his dignity to leave behind him the most careful instructions as to the formation and planting of a perfect garden. But I venture to say that one of the greatest recommendations of our hobby in this democratic age is that it is capable of af- fording delight to rich and poor alike, and that it can with the greatest ease be accommodated to the income of the millionaire or the scanty pittance of the humblest labourer. Another statesman. Sir William Temple, has written very truly that ' gar- dening is at once the pleasure of the greatest and the care of the meanest,' and the cottage garden is as capable of affording as much delight to its owner as the finest conservatory attached to the lordliest mansion. A new variety of Pansy or Au- ricula, reared by the careful skill and the tender care of a village amateur, is to him probably the source of as much pride and self-glorification as can be to another the most costly exotic or the scarcest Orchid that was ever reared. I claim, then, for all that concerns the cultivation of flowers, that it satisfies the love of natural beauty, which is in- herent in almost every human breast, that it culti- vates the intelligence and powers of observation, and, at the same time, provides variety and excite- ment by the constant novelty which results from the attention we give to it ; and while it does all these good things, it is, I believe, the most unselfish of pleasures, for it is enjoyed the most by the largest company, and, unlike some other amusements to which the human race is prone, ours inspires no evil passions, inflicts no pain, and causes injury to no man, either in his character, in his health, or in Jni.Y 11, 1891.] THE (xARDEN 41 his estate. I'nder these circumstances, it mast be a matter of congratalation to all of us that garden- ing in all its branches is daily increasing in popular favour. Xever before, I should think, has the use of flowers as decorations been so lavishly or exten- sively employed. They may be said to accompany ns from our cradle to our grave. They adorn our houses, they grace our b.iDquets— and I may be allovfed in passing to thank those who have pro- vided so generously for the delectation of our eyes and for the gratification of our palates in the fruits and flowers which have been shown on this table— they add a new charm to female loveliness, and they do something to relieve the repulsive ugliness of masculine apparel. The interest which is felt in the pursuit is shown b/ the crowds which attend our great horticultural shows, and we see that thereby our principal growers are stimulated to new efforts. Each favourite flower in turn is taken in hand and improved and perfected, and the ulti- mate corners of the glob 2 are ransacked to find new beauties and new varieties. In connection with all this enterprise there is a romantic side to horticulture which perhaps has hardly received the attention it deserves. Last year you all remember how the whole world evidenced a common interest in the re- cital of the difliculties undergone by, and the adven- turous progress of, the little band which penetrated through the dark part of Africa in search of and in relief of Emin Pacha ; but I venture to say there are scores of modest explorers, whose names are only known to a few, who undergo diiBculties as great and encounter dangers as serious as those which have been happily overcome by Mr. Stanley and his followers, animated only by a love of natural science and the spirit of enterprise. The record of the history of many flowers is a record of persistent and courageous achievements, carried out in the face of extraordinary difficulty and labour. Unfortunately, it is a record which has been made memorable by great sacrifices and loss of health, and in some cases by loss of life. Horti- culture has its heroes and its victims, as well as war, and it behoves us to hold their names in re- spectful and admiring reverence. But it is not only these adventurers who are always seeking "fresh woods and pastures new " who are deserv- ing of our sympathy and gratitude. I have already quoted Sir William Temple. In another place he says, very truly, that, in the growth of flowers, success is wholly of the gardener, and I think it will be admitted that without the constant care, intelligence, and industry of those who are prima- rily responsible, the most lavish expenditure and the most perfect apparatus would be of little avail to secure a satisfactory result. How, then, shall we repay our debt to those who, in this re- spect, have administered to the pleasure and to the interest of our lives .' The profession of a gardener is a very interesting one, but at the same time I think we must allow that it is not too highly paid. The prizes are few, and the conditions of the life are such that it is hardly possible, even for the most thrifty, to make adequate provision for all the eventualities of life. I have thought that, per- haps, the most pathetic position in which a man can be placed is that of one who, after he has spent a long life in honest industry, finds himself, as age approaches, with diminished capacities and ever declining resources, face to face with a future which has no bright spot — a future which offers to him only the prospect of the poorhouse as a refuge for his old age. Recent inquiries have convinced me that this, unfortunately, is the condition of much too large a proportion of our working-class population, and I have thought that the time has come when it is urgent that the State should intervene to remove what I think to be a blot and a scandal on our civilisation. But in the meantime the worn-out veterans of our in- dustrial warfare have their only hope in the opera- tions of such societies as that for which I plead to- night. I commend to your generous support the principles of this institution. Its object is the relief of the aged and distressed. The subjects of its bounty must have passed the age of sixty years, and must have spent at least twenty years of their lives in a responsible position. Pieference is given, as it ought to be given, to those who have en- deavoured to help themselves, to those who have been for a considerable time contributors to this institution, and relief is given in the best form in which it can be ofifered. The funds of the institu- tion are not v?asted in buildings and costly ad- ministration. The whole of them are paid away, and the recipients are enabled, without breaking up their homes, to pass the remaining years of their life in comparative comfort among their own relatives and friends. The institution has now lasted for more than half a century, and it has had a career of continued and increasing prosperity. At the present time I learn that there are on the books 15(1 pensioners, male and female, and they are receiving the bounty of the society at a cost of something approaching £3000 a year. My lords and gentlemen, it only remains for me to appeal to all who have derived profit or pleasure from the gardener's skill to assist this institution to meet all claims that may be made upon it, so that no de- serving applicant shall be turned away, and that all shall find relief in time of need. I feel sure we shall all take a greater interest in our pursuit if we know that those who have grown gray in its service will not suffer want or dishonour in their declining years." In conclusion, Mr. Chamberlain coupled with the toast the name of Mr. Veitch, which would, he said, always be honoured in connection with gar- dening, and he warmly eulogised that gentleman's services to the institution. Mr. Veitch, in responding, mentioned the fact that since the last annual meeting the oldest pen- sioner had passed to the majority. While able he had subscribed 18 guineas to the fund. He died at the age of 103 years, and while upon the pen- sion list received the sum of £520. Mr. Veitch alluded to the fact that the average age of the pensioners at the present time was 72 years. He referred also in feeling terms to the great loss the Institution had sustained in the deaths of the late secretary (Mr. R. Cutler), Mr. B. S. Williams, Mr. Shirley Hibberd. The subscriptions announced dur- ing the evening amounted to the sum of £1150. Mr. Chamberlain, in acknowledging the toast of his health, said that at times he thought that the progress of ideas and the progress of flowers had much in common. Both required ventilation. Nor did the parallel end there. Both often flourished best in heat. Gardeners, too, were often troubled by obstructive proceedings on the part of various noxious insects — thrips, red spider, mealy bugs, and the Orchid devil. Politicians also had insects to contend against. He would be sorry to mention the names of these insects, but perhaps the com- pany would be able to recognise them. FLOWERS IN SEASON FOR VASES. KosES wiU of course now form important features in floral arrangements, and most justly so ; they there- fore need no recommendation further than they have received of late. There are, however, many splendid things amongst the herbaceous plants now in season. Prominent among these are the Del- phiniums, which are now to be had in such infinite variety of colour, from the very palest to the deepest blue imaginable ; some with many rich variations and shadings, others with distinct white eyes. It may be urged against these fine hardy plants that the flowers do not last when cut, but it the spikes are cut and used with a fair amount of stem and placed in deep vases with plenty of water this may be partially overcome. In this manner some of the buds will also expand if not all. For my own part I prefer to cut the spikes below the lateral ones unless the central one is exceptionally strong. The leaves, however, should be removed, for they will soon fade. To arrange with the Delphiniums there are several good things, such, for instance, as Spiriea aruncus and S. astilboide.=, the first now in flower and the other soon to follow it. There are also Thalictrum aquilegifolium, a handsome border plant with long spikes of creamy-white flowers ; the common white garden Lily (L. oandidum), and L. colchicum, with its pure citron-yellow flowers. Other good things consist of the Day Lily (Hemero- callis flava) and Campanula persicifolia alba. All of these colours will associate well with the various shades of Delphiniums. The hardy Ferns of the larger kinds will supply a good variety of foliage material from now onwards for these kinds of arrangements of considerable size. In using the foregoing Lilies (and others which happen to be in season) by themselves, a free use should be made of the stronger-growing Grasses and Sedges, such as the hardy Panicums, the varieties of Elymus, and those of the Arundo famUy, with Gymnothrix latifolia and Eulalia ja- ponica. These Lilies, arranged in a free manner, are fine objects for fireplaces, for sideboards, and entrance halls ; one kind alone suflice^ to make a good effect, but if variety is preferable, two colours which do not clash with each other could be used ; three would be too many. The great mistake made in the arrangement of these and other liliaceous flowers is that of cutting away too much of the stem, thus destroying both character and beauty. I saw such an instance only recently in which Iris flowers were being thrust into a bunch of totally unfit foliage, the flowers themselves being carefully deprived of their stems, so as to fit down close upon the said foliage. Nothing could possibly have been in worse keeping. I thought these ways bad been by this time abolished, but regret to see that such is not the case in every instance. KosA. Fruit culture. — The Lord Mayor has granted the use of the Egyptian Hall of the Mansion House for a meeting to be held on July 13, in connection with the Fruiterers' Company, of which Sir James Whitehead is Master, for the purpose of considering what further steps shall be taken in the pomotion of fruit culture in our homesteads and cottage gar- dens. Among those who have already expressed themselves interested in the movement and have contributed towards the fund for carrying cut its object are the Corporation of London, the Duke of Westminster, the Duchess of Grafton, the Earl of Dartmouth, Lord Wolverton, Lord Crewe, Lord Savile, Lord Hothfield, the Baroness Burdett-Coutts, Mr. W. H. Smith, M.P., and the Mercers', Drapers', Clothworkers', and Leathersellers' Companies. The medals and certificates awarded at the great ex- hibition of fruit in the Guildhall last year will be presented on the occasion and the Lord Mayor will preside. BOOKS RECEIVED. " Annual Reports of the Fruit Growers' Association and ^Entomological Society of Ontario, IWRI." " Art of Perfuincry." By Chas. Piesse. Piesse and Lubin, 2, New Bond Street, London. Names of plants. — Hooper and Co.— A Pimelea; looks like P. spectabilis. B. G. /[.—The Cattleya Mossife forms are very nrjinary. l.Cypripedium Har- riaianum, dark form; 2, C. Lawrenueanum, light form ; wants more size and colour to be handsome j 3, Aeridea expansum, not odoratum ; -t, Saceolabium re- tusum ; diflicult to name from a few flowers. J. D. — 1, LiL'ha purpuratv; 2, Lselia Bryseana ; 3, L. Rus- selliana. E. N. — Aphelantliera grandiflora. F. M. — 1, Claytonia alsinoides ; 2, Geranium macrorrhizum '• 3, G. aconitifolium. Reginald.— 1, looks like au Ophiopogon; 2, send better specimen. 11'. M- C. — ErythiiuaCrista-galli. 11'. P.— Box smashed; please send again. Cul. PH;;e'.— Scillalongibracteata. George Gower. — 1, Miiinilus cardinalis ; 2, specimen bad ; 3, apeoimen bad shrivelled up; 1, Orchis latj- folia var. ; 5, Centaurea nigra ; 6, Orchis latifolia; ", Silene inflata (f) ; 8. Gymnadenia odoratissima. — — ;.;. s. — We have had much finer flowers sent us this season. Query.— Acineta, Humboldti. J. J/. 1, Salisburia adiantifolia ; 2, Adiantum pedatura ; 3, Sciadopitys verticillata. J. B.— Fruit of the Sand Boi Tree (Hura crepitans), a native of the West Indies. Adolescence.— la., Campanula fragilis ; 2a, Chry- santhemum lacustre ; 3a, Digitalis ferruginea; 4a, looks like Borage ; send better specimen ; 5a, nest week ; (ia, Thalictrum adiantifolium. Q. Gohhmilh.— l, . Allium fpeeies ; impossible to determine without leaves ; 2, Ornithogalum pjrenaicum ; 3, Allium sp. ; 4, Lysiraachia punctata ; 5, Lysimachia puuclataj 6, ScTophularia species— insufficient specimen; 7, Ver.> nica teucrium. ( )al;cnhcail and Co. — 1, I'hacelia species ; foliage necessary to determine ; 2, Astiautia minor; 3, Deutzia minor. A. rouii^.— Metrosidsros floribunda. Same treatment as a Myrtle. J. Oar- ' land. — Abutilon yitifolium. . • 42 THE GARDEN. [July 11, 1891. WOODS AND FORESTS. FORMING NEW PLANTATIONS. Many practical foresters are now of opinion that in forming new plantations the old system of planting a mixture of several kinds of trees on the same ground, in the hope that if one fails another will succeed, ought to be abandoned, and that each variety of soil, aspect, and ex- posure should be planted with the kind of tree it is most likely to produce in the greatest per- fection. Much can be said in support of this opinion, and no doubt it is a safe one to follow, provided we can with any certainty predict which tree will grow best on each kind of soil, but such predictions are sometimes most dis- appointing and disastrous in their result, and too often prove the necessity of entrusting the formation of plantations only to those who have a thorough practical knowledge of the subject, and who will carefully investigate every circum- stance likely to affect their calculations. But even were we satisfied which kind of tree is most likely to flourish on the ground, the sys- tem of planting with that tree alone may be carried too far. For instance, in districts where little or no demand exists for the early thinnings of an Oak plantation, but where a market is likely at all times to be found for good-sized Oak, it would certainly be unwise to plant the ground most suitable for growing Oak with Oak alone. Oak is slow in its growth, and some other kinds of wood of faster growth, the early thinnings of which would be more valuable, might be mixed with it. In such a case the Oak trees might be planted 18 feet apart, with an Ash between each two, and the ground filled up with Larch to 3 feet apart, which would make two Larches between each Oak and Ash tree. The Larch would 1)6 gradually thinned out at such times and in such a way as would best encourage the proper growth and development of the hard- wood, and more especially of the Oak. That cut at the first thinning would make stakes for sheep nets which, in arable districts where Turnips are eaten olT by sheep, are always in demand, or, if in the Hop country, it would make Hop poles. That cut at the second and third thinnings would be suitable for fencing, coal-pit, and other purposes, and would be much more valuable than hard wood of the same age. After thinning out all the Larch, the hard- wooded trees, viz , the Oak and Ash, would be left in equal numbers at 9 feet apart, and before the Oak required to be relieved of the Ash the latter would be of a suitable size for shaft-wood, for which there is generally a good demand in most districts. VVhen all the Ash had been thinned out, the Oak would be of suflicient size to admit of the plantation being pastured by sheep or cattle witliout much risk of their doing it damage, and as it is gradually cleared off the ground the pasture would every year become of more value ; in fact the fertility of the land would be improved by the crop of timber taken off it, and the pasture would be a much better one after the removal of the timber than it could have been made before the land was planted. On land suitable for growing good Oak, and situated in England or the Lowlands of Scotland, such a system of making permanent pasture succeed timber would in all probability be more profitable than the French one of natural reproduction. Where, again, we find ground best adapted for growing Scotch Pine, it would not be advis- able to plant that ground with Scotch Pine alone, the early and immature thinnings of which would in some districts not be worth the labour of drawing them out of the plantation. Nearly all ground that will grow Scotch Pine to maturity will grow Larch for a certain period, and wherever Scotch Pine has to be the per- manent crop, Larch, the young trees of which are of more value, should be mixed with it to come out in the early thinnings. X. Y. CHANGES WHICH TREES CREATE. Apart from the influence of trees upon the general climate of a country, which has over and over again been proved to be very great, trees play a very important part in ameliorating the extremes of temperature in a local sense. Many of what are now our most enjoyable country seats but for the presence of trees would be littie better than bleak and comfortless downs. In situations where hills and valleys alternate, much may be done by a judicious selection of the spot where the dwelling is to be placed ; but even then, without the presence of trees, the site is never complete. The charm of what are now some of the most lovely spots in these islands would at once vanish it they were deprived of their trees, and not only their charm in a pic- turesque sense, but in that of bodily comfort. To one who has dwelt upon a more or less bare and wind-swept upland, the sense of comfort in the re- moval to a spot sheltered by clustering woods will be very grateful and more eloquent than the most fluent description. In considering the best use which can be made of trees for shelter, the condi- tions existing must, of course, be taken into ac- count, viz., whether the house is already in existence, and the trees have to be arranged to produce the greatest amount of shelter in harmony with the necessities of the landscape, or whether the trees and woods are already growing and the position of the house has to be determined upon from these. In the former case, for climatic reasons, the situation and alignment must be de- termined on to give the greitest resistance to the prevailing winds. lu some cases other circum- stances may interfere with this, but it is not often, with proper arrangement, such difficulties cannot be overcome. Other pens have condemned the practice of dotting trees about instead of throwing them into suitable masses, as an offence to the eye, and it it is desired to defeat the end of obtaining shelter from trees, this objectionable system will be the sure means of doing it, as trees so planted can be of no appreciable use for the purpose. As in the landscape, so for equalising heat and cold, trees and woods are required, and must be grown in masses. In some parts of the country, although not the coldest, the winds, which are generally most unpleasant on account of their strength and prevalence, are the west and south-westerly ones. From these some shelter is most desirable, but as, on the other hand, the afternoon sun shines from this direction, some discrimination is necessary that in cutting off the effects of the wind the sun is not excluded as well. There is no reason, how- ever, why the advantage of both should not be gained, as by the suitable arrangement and selec- tion of subjects there need be no great difHculty in the matter. Masses of woods, too, to the north and nortti-east, where the situation is not otherwise protected, are of very great value, and if they con- sist of considerably greater areas than those in the other aspects, the benefit wifl be so much the greater. The north-west aspect, too, if possible, i-hould not be left exposed, as from this point of the compass anything but clemency in the weather is often experienced. In fact, the only quarter which can properly be left unprotected by woodland in one form or another is that lying between the south-east and south-west, as although now and again rough weather comes from this quarter, the sunshine and warmth so greatly predominates, that no obstacle should be placed there to obstruct the access of these necessities to health and enjoy- ment. Elm V(rith coloured wood.— A brandling spe- cimen iu full leaf waa exhibited by Mr. Morris at a recent meetinp of the scientific committee of the Rojal Hortiruftural Society. It waa received many years ago at Kew from Van Houtte under the name of Ulmus sp. lihro-ruhro. This is believed to be only a form of the Se:)tch or Wych Elm (Ulmus montana). The peculiarity possessed by the specimen consists in its having the wond immediately beneath the bark of a briglit pink colour, which easily distinguishes it from the type. The exact nature of the colouring substance in this instance does not appear to have been investigated. Larch wood. — In The Garden, June 20 ([.• 580), " Y." says, " For the planking of wagons and carts, for the removal of stones, or similar mate- rial. Larch wood is eminently suited." The fact is. Larch wood is about the worst that I have ever seen used for lining stone-carts and wagons for such purposes, as it always splinters into fragments by the pressure and chafing of the stones. Sec. For many years I have supplied wood to builders and carters for this purpose, and one of the conditions is, that Larch wood is not to be sent on any ac- count. The best wood for lining stone-carts is that of the Goat Willow (Salix caprea). Although the Goat Willow is the best, yet the whole of the Wil- low tribe, as well as the Poplars, are suitable and are being used to a large extent for lining railway wagons and carts.— J. 13. W. Sir Herbert Maxwell on forestry.— Sir Herbert Maxwell has an article in the J\'ineteeitth CentiiTij on forestry this month. It is good and readable, which is far from what one can say of most gentlemen's articles on rural subjects. He discusses liritish forestry, we think, very reason- ably, and is against much State aid, mainly on the plea that we have no fores-ts in the sense that Con- tinental nations have them, and, therefore, he thinks it would be useless to create a public de- partment to do what country gentlemen could quite easily do themselves with a little combina- tion. We quite agree. Officialism would do little good in such matters, and British teaching on forestry would at the best be bad. It is much better to send promising young men to see what is done in France and Germany. Although forestry, beyond the mere ornamental and game-keeping part of it, is not practised in this country, there is no reason why it should not be, and we miss in Sir Herbert's article and in much other writing on the subject any notice of the excellent French plan of encouraging proprietors to plant by freeing them from taxes for a number of years. A considerate act of this sort might do much to clothe our waste lands and the poor mountain slopes of the United Kingdom. Few who have not tramped over the mountains of Wales and the north of England and Ireland and other of our mountain groups have any idea of the extent of these. One may see a dozen mountains looking as bare as elephants' backs. There is a vast area of mountain lands in these islands which might be made as good as those of France and Germany, and there is also a great deal of land in England which does not pay as arable land, and which might well be cultivated as forest land. " The Garden " Monthly Vavts.— This joumal is pub- linked in neatly bound Mmilhiy Parts. In this /orm the coloured plates are best preserred, and it is moat suitable for reference previous to the issue of the half-yearly volunus. Price Is. 6d. ; ))o.s( .free, Is. 9d. Complete set of volume) of The Garden/7*o»i its cmmnencement to end O/1890, thirty-eight voi»., price, cloth, £28 4«. " Gardening Illustrated " Monthly Parts. — This JnuriKil i.t puhtislieil ill iw'lhi '"'"nd Mnntl.h/ I'nrt.^. in lehirh form it is most suitnh/r hir r,'h r, nrr prrriiius [0 the issue of the yiarhi mhuins. Pric'^^d. -.'pnstfnL, 8.(. "Farm and Home" Monthly Parts.— This joumal is pitblisliid in nLatln bound Monthly Parts, ill ichich form it is most suitable for reference previous to the issue of the yearly volumes. . Price 5d. ; post free, Sd. ** Hardy Flowers." — Giving descriptions of upwards of tliirti'n hundred of the most ornamental .species, irith directions for tluir arrangement, culture, d'C. Fourth and Popular 'Edition, IK.; posifree,ls. Sd. "The Garden Annual" for i89^.— Contains Alpha- bttiral Itsts of alt Branrltts of the llortirtiUural Trade correctett up to ^oveiitber 10 last. The lists of (Jardens and Country Siats (containing orer '.lOOOJ hare ban nry carefully and esten- sirely revised, and are admitteil to be the most comjilete ever published. Price \s. ; by post, \s. Sil. Jjandxm : 87, Southampton Street, Strand, JVC. THE GARDEN. 43 No. 1026. SATURDAY, July 18, 1891. Vol. XL. " This is an Art Which does mend Nature : change it rather ; but The Art itself is Natdre," — Shaxespeare. Orchard AND Fruit Garden. VINES AFTER FRriTING. Grape Vines are long-suffering, but there comes a time when they can no longer withstand either overcropping or neglect. Too often they are cropped far beyond their strength, and then, to make matters worse, are neglected after the crops are cleared oti", or if not exactly neglected, are yet, comparatively speaking, treated with- out reference to what has been taken out of them. Market growers can aft'ord, and doubt- less it pays them well, to crop their Vines very heavily, a short and exceptionally hard worked life being the rule, but private gardeners are not in a position to be constantly rooting out Vines and replanting others, and it is their best policy to maintain all under their charge in a healthy productive state as long as possible. Not but that we may easily err in being too anxious to prolong the life of Vines, numerous old, much skinned and scraped rods being preserved far longer than they ought to be. Instead, however, of Vines being worn out or past their best when only seven or eight years old, they ought then to be approaching the best part of their career. There is no necessity for unduly favouring what are intended for per- manent Vines, but if they are only cropped moderately heavy from the first, no more bunches being left on them than can be well finished without checking their healthy progress, there is little likelihood of an early collapse. If they are .systematically over -cropped from the first, an early breakdown usually results. Much, however, may be done towards remedy- ing the effects of over-cropping by good culture after the Vines are cleared of bunches, and even those that have not been overworked must not be neglected at that stage. If from any cause the foliage is lost prematurely this will inevit- ably injuriously afi'ect the next season's pro- spects. Either few or no bunches wOl show, or may be there will be plenty only much smaller than usual, while not unfrequently imperfect setting may also be traced to an early loss of the primary leaves. I have known instances of the Mufcat of Alexandria being so very heavily cropped and then left to take their chance, that in the following season scarcely any berries were furnished with stones. Strange to say, this did not hinder most of the reserved berries from swelling to a saleable size, and the comparative rest given to the Vines re- stored them to better health, a much im- proved set of berries resulting. Quite recently I met with an instance of a Vine of West's St. Peter's that was over-cropped last year, and which this season has failed to produce a single well-set bunch. Again, in the late vinery under my charge one of the three Vines of Alicante was last October so badly injured by an escape of hot water from a bad joint in the hot-water pipes underground at this particular place, that the whole of the leaves quickly changed from a dark green to a sickly yellow colour, all falling long before those on the other rods were ripened. Naturally, I was much exercised as to the probable consequences of this early loss of foliage and roots, and was agreeably surprised to note that this particular Vine broke as strongly and evenly as the rest, and actually produced the largest bunches of all. Not till the time arrived for thinning out the berries were any ill effects apparent. 'The finest bunches had to be cut oflT, owing to the greater portion of the berries being stoneless, and the smaller bunches are by no means well set. The health of the Vine appears to be perfect, while all the rest of the Vines in the house are doing better than ever previously. This being so, I consider I am justified in attributing the faulty setting to the early loss of foliage. If the habits of the Grape V^ine are taken into consideration, the need for good attention, both above and below ground, ought to be apparent enough to the moat superficial observer. Not till the crops are ripe, and if not actually cleared off', materially lightened in the case of heavily cropped Vines, does root action become brisk. Previously the Vine's energies have been principally concentrated on the matura- tion of the crop, very little of the true sap re- turning to the roots to be expended in the pro- duction of root-fibres, and the longer, therefore, we preserve the foliage in all reason the better the prospect of a good foundation of a future crop of fruit being laid. In the case of mode- rately hard-forced Vines, with their roots wholly in outside borders, it not unfrequently happens that scarcely any roots have been made before the Grapes are fit to cut, and if from any cause the foliage is lost or mucli weakened pre- maturely, it is not much good in the shape of starch that will be stored. In any case, if the foliage is badly burnt, or, what is more frequent, especially this season, red spider be in the ascendant, root action must be correspondingly faulty and weak, next yeai's crops being so much poorer accordingly. I have no faith whatever in the efficacy of extended sub-lateral growths, the foliage on these altogether failing to do the work of fully developed, well-pre- served primary leaves. Leave a good length of lateral in the first instance, or say two leaves beyond where the bunches are formed, and take good care of the leaves, all sub-lateral growths being kept well stopped, and there will be no waste of sap, nor, other conditions being satisfactory, faulty root action. After the bunches are cut from a Vine, the house ought to be set wide open and the foliage freely and frequently syringed, sulphur being mixed with the water wherever red spider is to be seen, or if preferred, a hantlful of flowers of sulphur may be worked through a muslin bag into a 3-gallon can of syringing water on two or three successive days, and when once the leaves are fairly well coated on both upper and lower sur- faces with the sulphur cease syringing. Some- thing of the sort must be done, or otherwise the red spider will rob the Vines of all that should have returned to the roots. It follows that the borders must also be kept in a uniformly moist state, dryness being fatal to vigorous root action and the consequent storage of food supplies. The surfaces of both inside and outside borders ought to be kept in a loosened state, binding being followed by crack- ing and other evils. A great depth of loo.se soil is objectionable, but if the surface is just loosened, and, if not already done, mulched with either leaf soil or short manure, evapora- tion of moisture will be further prevented and many surface roots saved. Supposing the bor- ders are new or comparatively so, all that is needed is sufficient water to keep them in a moist state, but when tliey are overrun with roots and exhausted of much of their fertility, something stronger than water is needed. Fer- tilisers are of more service to Vines after they are cleared of their crops and again just prior to starting afresh than at any other period of their growth, those that have been heavily cropped in most cases standing in absolute need of such assistance, as without it the recupera- tive and fuod-storing processes cannot take place in a thorough manner. The exception i are where the borders are already too rich in nitrogen, adding more only aggravating the evil. A manure sick, ineit soil, and to which Vine roots show a marked repugnance, can be most quickly corrected by a liberal surface- dressing of newly slaked lime at the rate of 1 bushel to every 0 square yards, applying it now in preference to waiting till next spring before doing it. A very little lime sufficeth for borders in a sweet, porous state, and these being exhausted of much of their fertility should have, directly the Vines are cleared of their crops, a liberal soaking of either farmyard liquid manure or .sewage, both being well di- luted with pond or soft water in preference to cold spring water. Failing these, wash in either soot, guano, or some kind of special manure — the two last named at the rate recommended by the vendors — while enough soot may be used to well blacken the surface, guano being applied at the rate of 1 lb. to every 24 gallons of water, mixing a good quantity in tubs and keeping it well stirred being preferable to any other plan of using it. W. Igoilden. Melons.— I fully agree with the observalior s on Melons by "A. D." in The Garden (page is). Growers for exhibition naturally grow a few o£ the supposed best varieties, but for home consumption the wisest course is to select a good variety ard keep to it, ignoring all others. This I have dore for the past five years, and I never hear any com- plaint as regards quality or appearance. The variety I have selected is a good stock of Blenheim Orange. You can have fruit from 2 lbs. in weight up to 5 lbs. or i> lbs., and the colour and netting are very handsome. I am certain that this variety has qualities that many of the newer varieties can not lay claim to. The Blenheim Orange, as grown by many people, is quite distinct from the original, and it will be the same in a few years time in the case of the new Melons of to-day. No doubt if the best of these were rigidly selected and kept away from other varieties their original good merits would be preserved. By growing three or four varieties in the same house, and saving seed from these to perpetuate the stock, it is impossible to keep them pure.— A. Young, Ahberh-y Hall. Apples.— I regret to hear from Mr. Tnrton, of The Wilderness, Reading, that Apples are falling from the trees all too rapidly in his district, and garden especially, to the extent of two-thirds of the crop. That is bad news indeed, as on very many trees the set was, in spite of the wonderful bloom, far from being a good one. What now seems probable is that whilst we shall have but a moderate crop of Apples after all, we shall have a very fine sample. That will largely make amends for the thinning, and save many trees from undue exhaustion on the one hand, or coarseness of growth on the other. To what is this extraordinary natural thinning of the fruits to be attributed / Evidently it is due to imperfect fertilisation, and that I further attribute to the exceedingly cold un- genial weather which prevailed when the trees were in bloom. This served to protract unduly the opening and the falling of the bloom, and made fertihsation so imperfect. Even the exceeding lateness of the expansion of the bloom, which so many hailed as a fa\ourable sign, could not be beneficial, as the fertile organs were kept unduly cased in or cramped into the firmly closed petals long after they should, in the ordinary course of nature, have been fully expanded. Then we had during the blooming time numerous heavy hail storms, heavy rains, cold winds, cloudy days, and general ungenial weather, which could not assist fertilisation. It will probably turn out, however, that there will be plenty of Apples in the country, and it what are left on the trees swell to their full size and are free from maggot, we shall not be so 44 T'^E rT4TlT)EK [July 18, 1891. veiy badly off. I find the earlier sort?, many ot wLich are usually free fruitjrs, set best, but even these have had the fruits remarkably thinned. — *,* On visiting the Royal Horticultural Society's Garden, at Chiswiok, the other day, Mr. Barron called our attention to the enormous quantity of Apples that had fallen off the young trees. The ground was literally strevped with fruit. Although so many hare fallen, there is yet a splendid crop left.— Ed. FIG TKEES. It will be necessary to bestow more than the ordi- nary amount of care and attention on these trees during the present summer to restore them to a fruitful and profitable state again after the severe punishment which they have sustained during the past winter. Even on sheltered walls and where a fair amount of protection has been afforded them they have suffered considerably, and many of the young and fruitful points have died back a consider- able length, and with them a loss to a great extent of the crop of fruit for the current year. Where not already done the trees will now need thoroughly overhauling, removing all the dead shoots and branches, so as to make them more presentable and give the young wood the trees may make during the current year all the assistance possible as regards light and air. In most instances where'the points of the branches have been killed they are now break- ing away into several shoots, that if left to grow at will must soon form a thicket of weak growth, to the permanent injury of the trees and be highly detrimental to their producing a crop of fruit another year. There should be no reluctance on the part of the cultivator to give this extra atten- tion to so useful a fruit, which in the ordinary run of seasons gives a minimum of trouble for an abundant and useful crop. Every care should be taken to encourage sufficient young growth with- out allowing it to become crowded, and when con- veniently arranged this should be properly secured to the walls as soon as the shoots have gained sufficient length. No greater mistake could be made than to set the knife into these trees that have suffered from the past winter as soon as they show signs of moving in spring, for cuts so made are sure to bleed pro- fusely, which, to say the least, is very weakening to the trees. It is not possible very early in the season to discern quite clearly which of the shoots is bound to come out ; but when the trees have started fairly into growth no such mistakes will be made, and what is of still more importance, the growths on the tree will carry off the sap, so that there will be no harm from excessive bleeding, even were a live branch or two to be severed, and that which is quite dead would not bleed at all. Very much depends upon the ripeness of the wood of the trees as to the extent of damage done by the frost. Where not placed in a favoured position they are in some cases almost totally killed. I find that with us Castle Kennedy has stood the winter better than either Brown Turkey or Brunswick, the latter with us coming off the worst. Everv encou- ragement should be given to what Figs there are on the trees outside, for they are, there is no doubt, very scarce out of iloors this summer, and doubtless will be much missed this autumn both at home and at the exhibitions. Where there are good Figs now swelling, the points of the young shoots beyond each fruit should be pinched out after they have made from four to six leaves or what would be considered sufficient to draw the sap. In an ordi- nary year such a practice would not hold good, as it would be detrimental to a crop of fruit for another year, but this season there will be no lack of young shoots, the main object now being to reduce these, so that those left may become strong and fruitful, and also to prevent their overgrowing what little fruit there is now on the trees. Clarendon Park, Salisiuri/. C. Wabdbn. The earliest Strawberry.— This Strawberry, which is both one of the best in quality and also the most remarkable in shape, is the variety named Edouard Lefort, of which a description and an | illustration were given in the Iterite Hortk-olr for lS90(p. 84). Early in June of the present 3 ear, happening to visit the garden of Mons. Lefort, which contains a large and fine collection of Straw- berries, we were very much surprised to see on the variety in question, which was planted in the open air without any shelter whatever, a great number of very large and perfectly ripe fruit such as, at that time, could not be seen on any other variety. This variety of Strawberry, as we have said, is re- markable not only for its good quality, but also for its shape, which is quite unique, and presents two very distinct phases— a constant characteristic of the variety — viz., all the earliest fruits are regu- larly ovoid in form, shortly acuminate, and pointed, while those that come afterwards are all very much attenuated at the base or part next the stalk, the upper part of the fruit being roundish in shape, so that the whole fruit very much resembles the clapper of a bell in form. This alteration of shape being a constant feature of this variety, it would appear as if the attenuation at the base of the later fruit was brought about by the increasing heat of the season. — Hevue Horticole. LATE MELONS. Op late years this fruit has been exhibited later than formerly. I have also grown late Melons, but have come to the conclusion that to get fruit after October is not worth the time and trouble bestowed on them. Whilst I admit that at times the weather may prove favourable to the growth and finish of late fruits, it is often otherwise, and the room taken up can often be put to better account. I have of late seen several varieties sent out as late keepers and fruiters, and to many this is mislead' ing, as any good Melon possessing a thick rind can be grown late. No doubt some lately introduced Melons may have thick skins, thus adding to their long-keeping qualities, but I have yet to learn that they are better flavoured than others. Those only who have ample means and wish to try novelties, should grow Melons for late use, as my experience is that a Melon after being kept a fortnight or longer, if good when cut, soon loses flavour, even if stored in a suitable temperature and the weather cold. Another question arises, whether a Melon is worth placing on the table so late in the year, as it is a summer fruit and more relished in hot weather than at any other time. For late culture I have obtained the best flavoured Melons when grown in pots and only three or four fruits on a plant, as the roots being restricted to a small space, the plant does not make so much foliage and the fruits are more readily finished. Indeed, I like pots for Melons at the start for early work, using those of a good size if large fruits and plenty of them are wanted. For late work, that is to fruit early in October, I prefer IC-inch pots, and to top- dress with fibrous loam round the top or rim of the pot as soon as the roots appear. Many good growers recommend growing Melons to yield a succession of fruits. Some may be fortunate to get good fruit in this way, but I fear it is at loss of flavour, as when these plants are finishing their fruit, a dry, warm, buoyant atmosphere just suits them, and iif this is given the later formed fruits suffer. I know in many gardens flavour is not the only thing, as some Melons are required for sale, but if possible flavour should be the first consideration for the table. Much mischief is also frequently caused by giving manure in a liquid state too late, that is after the fruit has ceased to swell. This greatly deteriorates the Melon, more so in late than mid-season fruit, as the sun, being less powerful, does not absorb the excessive moisture so rapidly. Excess of water at this time has the same tendency, and if the plants are very strong and reijuired for a second crop it is better to damp the foliage slightly than to give water at the roots, also to let the laterals have more play. This will often prevent cracking and loss of flavour. Many could glow these fruits for consumption in September and October who possess a movable frame or a brick pit. If the latter, good fruits can be had without the trouble of getting manure for bottom heat, provided strong, clean, healthy plants are | used at planting. Some of the best fruits I ever had were grown in frames that had been used for Potatoes, merely treading the loose soil as firmly as possible and placing half a barrow-load of suitable compost, such as good loam, rather heavy than otherwise, with a sprinkling of wood ashes and mortar rubble, not too far from the glass and keep- ing the wood well thinned from the start, as crowd- ing in frames tends to create canker. To grow Jlelons in this way it is advisable to plant in June, but with care they may be planted three or four weeks later, so that if strong plants are used they soon make a start. The frames should be closed early in the afternoon, also slightly covering the glass at night to retain the heat. In heated frames or pits this is not necessary, and Melons are very easily grown if the temperature and moisture are attended to. An easy way of getting good fruits in ordinary frames is to use a simple trellis about 15 inches to 18 inches from the glass ; a few pieces of wood crossways supported by ties on a ledge of wood support the bine and fruits and keep the latter clear of insect pests besides adding to the appearance and finish of the fruits. I consider three fruits are enough for one plant in the autumn. It is best to feed liberally as soon as the fruits commence to swell, taking care in cold frames not to damp the stems. In damp seasons canker is at times troublesome and should be checked as soon as it appears. I find powdered charcoal with fresh slaked lime the best preventive when placed on the stem as soon as canker is seen. Top-dressing is also often neglected till late. This should be done before the trellis is fixed, as the plants will do with a few sticks to support them till sufficient growth has been made. Syringing must be done early in the afternoon to allow of the foliage drying before dusk. E>pecially in frames is it necessary to avoid a stagnant atmo- sphere, so that on cloudy days a chink of air must be given. If insect pests such as green and black fly appear, a dusting of tobacco powder or syring- ing with tobacco water is the safest remedy, as smoking in inexperienced hands often burns the foliage and weakens the plants. S. H. M. The Morello Cherry. — While sweet Cherries present a very partial crop, in many cases a very poor one, in others fairly good, but in few cases a heavy one, Morello Cherries are remarkably good, the crop being one of the best seen for a long time. I am referring to this Cherry not as a pro- tected wall tree where it almost invariably crops well, but to it rather as a standard tree, for it seems better fitted for standard form almost than any other fruiting tree we have. It is strange, perhaps, that because of its wonderful persistency in fruit- ing, the Morello Cherry is not much more ex- tensively grown, but probably the sale is some- what limited by the acidity of the fruit, so that it cannot be utilised for dessert, and is only avail- able for ordinary domestic uses. We all know that the flesh of Morello Cherries, when hung late on a north wall and protected from birds, has be- come softer and sweeter and far from being unpleasant to the taste. So much cannot be said ot Morellos on standards, as even the birds trouble them little. The Cherries, however, may be preser\ed in many ways other than the costly one of being immersed in brandy, and bottled or canned make very delicious pies or tarts later when fruits are scarce. The Morello Cheriy, because of its naturally pendent habit of growth, makes a hand- some tree, whether in bloom or in fruit. The variety seems also to be very accommodating, for it does well in the stiff' Middlesex clay of this district, where also the Farleigh Prolific Damson thrives well, better on the whole than any others. Both the Damson and the Cherry are fruiting heavily this year, but then both are fruits which rarely show a blank season, and more freijuently have a good crop than perhaps many others. So far as the general Plum crop is concerned, with the ex- ception of Victoria, I do not think a heavy one will be reported. Thus we see the Morello Cherry the best amongst Cherries, and the Farleigh Damson and Victoria Plum, so far as I can see in this locality, the best amongst Plums. I have always I July 18, 1891.] THE GARDEN. 45 found local growers very well satisfied with the market returns for their fruit, conclusive evidence that the Morello ib a profitable variety to cultivate. — A. D. SUMMER AND AUTUMN RASPBERRIES. Raspbebeies will be late this season, and for this reason more light and air should be given the canes than is often the case, as when crowded many of the fruits are lost by being covered and from want of exposure. The Raspberry, one of our best fruits, is worth extended cultivation, and though one of our oldest fruits, it is only of late years that it has been used largely for pre- serving, immense quantities being grown for this purpose on our large fruit farms. There the cul- ture is different from that practised in gardens. In Kent alone there are thousands of acres under cultivation. Raspberries often are planted after Potatoes or Cabbages, the ground for which has been heavily manured. Deep cultivation is spe- cially necessary with this fruit. Planting is done in November, as soon as the ground has subsided and the canes procured. The rows are usually 6 feet apart, and the canes put in singly or in pairs at 1 foot apart, being pruned back to 2 feet in length. I have found the lower the cane is cut the stronger it breaks. In many gardens the canes are left too long and are poor for a time, break- ing badly up the stem till the new canes take their place, as each new cane when cut back hard throws up two or three shoots from the base of the plant. These are sufficient till the roots have got sufficiently strong to bear four or five canes for fruiting, which number I consider ample. Many Raspberry plantations are often prematurely exhausted by leaving the old canes after the fruits are gathered. In large market gardens the old fruiting canes are removed as soon as the fruit is gathered, and thus the new growths are strength- ened and thoroughly matured for the next season's crop. Very little training or pruning is attempted, as the early cutting away of the old fruiting canes does not leave much pruning, the shoots not re- quired for canes being cut off with the hoe in a young state. Various ways of supporting the canes are resorted to. Some good growers arch their canes over by tying four together at the top, two from each side. This answers, and they fruit freely up the stem, but I do not think in wet seasons the canes have so free exposure to the air as when the old upright system is adopted of tying three or four strong canes in an upright position, or of tying to a stake, as in private gardens. In large plantations stakes or wires are not used, and here we may get useful information, as the large grower does not go to the expense of staking or tying, as the fruiting canes are cut from 2 feet to 3 feet long, and, being strong, are able to support themselves. If left long, a few canes are tied together at the top. We gain little by leaving a long cane that bends down by its weight of fruit and shades the bottom part. Growers also do not allow their plantations to remain so long in one place, as in pri- vate gardens. No digging of any kind should be attempted, only keeping clean with the hoe and free of weeds. I find it best to manure heavily twice a year, viz., in the autumn and early spring. Especially is this necessary on light gravelly soils. I have seen excellent fruits produced under the shade of trees, but I do not advise planting in this way, preferring to have an early and late lot ; the early ones on an open piece of ground thoroughly exposed, and the latest under a wall on a north border ; this prolongs the supply tUl the autumn- bearing kinds come in. Raspberries should be planted on trenches and well- manured ground. When choosing varieties, those that are required for preserving and for tarts should be grown for that purpose. For preserving. Semper Fidelis is one of the best. It makes a splendid jam of a bright colour and is a great and continuous cropper, not so early as some. As a first-class dessert fruit, Superlative is one of the best, and a heavy cropper. Though of recent introduction, it is not widely known. I find it the best we have on our light soils, as it bears freely when very young, and stands wet better than some kinds, its fruit being borne on long stout footstalks, so that it soon dries after rains and the canes support themselves. The old Northumberland Fillbasket is also an abundant bearer, but it does not yield a long succession of fruit like Superlative. Hornet and Baumforth's Seedling, the latter being an improved Northum- berland Fillbasket, are also good. Fastolf and Carter's Prolific are also good kinds, being vigorous growers with large, red, well-flavoured fruits. Of white kinds. Yellow Antwerp and Magnum Bonum are good, the last-named bearing large fruits of a sweet and pleasant flavour. Of autumn kinds more should be grown, and although they do not possess the sweet flavour of summer fruits, they are very useful in a variety of ways for cooking. These re- quire to be pruned hard in the spring, as they bear their fruit on the summer shoots ; they should also get abundance of feeding and moisture in dry weather to perfect the shoots ; they then fruit freely till cut down by frosts. The best autumn fruiters are Belle de Fontenay (yellow). Four Sea- sons, or large Monthly, and October (red and yel- low). The first-named is an excellent kind, and where only a limited quantity are grown can be relied upon. The autumn-fruiting kinds require good cultivation to secure large fruits, and as their fruiting season is a short one they should get well thinned and free exposure to sun and light. In private gardens I would advise more room between the rows than is often given, as in wet seasons much of the fruit is spoiled. Much depends upon the length the canes are grown. If pruned to 8 feet, i> feet between the rows is sufficient, but if double that height, then !) feet to 12 feet should be allowed. In gardens where this fruit does not do well much can be done to assist it by bringing in fresh loam, and this is often required to mix with poor light soils. — Geo. Wythes, Syon. The Raspberry in a wild state can be found throughout Europe and in other parts of the world. The natural habitats are woods and thickets, bushy and uncultivated recesses, rough- edged country lanes where damp and somewhat shady, but not such as are exposed to the drip of rain. Mr. Leo Grindon states that exposure to the meridian sun is distasteful to it. One of the oldest varieties of the Raspberry is the Red Antwerp, and one that many gardeners still grow largely. Probably all our summer-bearing red Rasp- berries have been derived from it, but some of the newer red ones are Carter's Prolific, Fastolf, Hornet, and Prince of Wales. Of yellow or white varieties Magnum Bonum is one of the newest. The Yellow Antwerp is still considered a good sterling variety. In selecting the site of a plantation for Raspberries shelter from winds is important. A belt of trees on the north and east is decidedly advantageous, as affording protection. The foliage of the Rasp- berry is naturally somewhat fragile, and, I have known a day's strong wind play sad havoc with a plantation. A soil too cold and retentive of moisture should be avoided, and in lifting old stools from such an one the vast mass of matted roots will indicate that without good drainage health must be impossible ; the clump decays below and disease follows. And yet, as it is the habit of the plant to throw up many suckers, it is obvious there must be sufficient moisture to develop healthy bearing wood and promote the maturation of the crop. Few plants indeed show such immediate effects of watering in fruiting time ; hence the soil should be at first rich and light, if possible— at any rate, such as moisture will not stagnate in. The tendency of the plant to throw out its roots laterally in all directions in search of sustenance has to be considered. These roots are a kind of emigrant force, and they are something of a nuis- ance, in so far as they send up colonies of suckers in the middle of walks and other inconvenient places where they are not wanted ; yet they are valuable, as affording plants for new plantations. A most productive plantation of the Red Antwerp Raspberry is cultivated in this manner. The rows are 4 feet apart, the plants 3 feet apart in the rows, and the ground between rows and plants is never disturbed, except to keep it clean from weeds and the surface open. In October a trench 1 foot wide and IJ feet in depth is made from end to end between each pair of rows, and a good dress- ing of rotten manure laid in and well trodden down. Cow manure is said to be the best for the purpose where it can be procured. Three, four, or five canes are left to each stool at thinning time, not shortened, but tied over to meet the tops of the next, each pair of stools thus forming a kind of arch, whereby not only is staking saved, but the lower buds are brought to point upwards, so that they push, and the fraitf ulness of each cane is in- creased quite a third part. It is also found the fruit is more easily gathered. Watering in dry weather both before and during the fruiting time is necessary. In this way a plantation of Rasp- berries will continue fruitful for a longer time than is generally supposed . Plant in October, as early in the month as pos- sible, in light, rich, and well-drained ground, spreading the roots out and just covering them, and then tread the surface down somewhat firmly. Some adopt the practice of mulching the roots with manure as soon as planting is done. This must be of decided advantage to the plants. — R. D. THE POT CULTURE OF STRAWBERRIES. " Grower " writing ou this subject brings in my name at page 4 as a grower of Strawberries In pots. He evidently well remembers the fruit we produced at Loxford Hall some fifteen or twenty years ago. I used to grow all the promising new Strawberries at that time. I bought Augu.ste Nicaise the first year it was sent out at three francs per plant ; but after trying that and the others for pot culture, I dropped them after a fair trial. For a general crop to be produced in May and the early part of June before Strawberries come in out of doors, I still approve of President and British Queen as the best. Auguste Nicaise, James Veitch, Noble, and others are sadly wanting in flavour. There is one thing to be said in their favour ; they are easily grown and fruit freely, but the same may be said of President. On the other hand, British Queen requires the very best culture to obtain the best results. I also agree with "Grower" that Keens' Seedling was not only a great favourite once, but it is a great favourite now wherever it is to be found well grown and true to name. We grow a few Black Prince for the earliest, and after that Keens' Seedling, which 1 certainly still consider to be the best second early. It is also of full size and always of a rich dark colour. This excellent variety has been in cultivation since the early years of the present century, and if it did not possess qualitiesof the highest order, it would have gone out of cultivation long ago. It is not always grown true to name, a variety of but little merit named Hooper's Seedling having become mixed with it, and as Hooper's Seedling i.s the stronger grower of the two and produces runners more freely, it gradually usurps the place of the better variety. When I first be- gan to cultivate Strawberries I jiurchased Keens' Seedling with others, but in a year or two I found we had Hooper's Seedling only, so I was informed. At that time Mr. George Sage, gardener at Ashridge, was a successful exhibitor of fruit, and produced Keens' Seed- ling of superb quality in April. He kindly gave mo jjlants of his stock, which was the true variety, and I have retained it true ever since, and it does not show the least trace of degeneration. The seasons are not long. Winter lingers well into the lap of May, and cold nights are soon upon us again, so that one of the essentials for successful culture in pots is getting the runners layered early. We begin to prepare ours in the second week of July, by layering them into what are termed 3-inch pots, the soil being two parts good loam to one part of decayed 46 THE GARDEN. [July 18, 1891. stable manure ; tlicy grow very strongly in this rich soil, and require to be replanted into 0-inch pots Ln a month from the time of layering. They are removed from the parent plant in two weeks and repotted after two weeks more. Need I add that a light, open position in the garden is the right place for them, and the plants should be placed lo inches from each other. They should be planted firmly, and the best compost for fruiting them in is three parts loam, one of decayed manure, and an 8-inch potful of powdered bones to each barrow- load of the compo.<-t. It is quite necessary to add a word or two on the general culture of the plants, for good runners cannot be pro- duced from plants that have been grown in poor soil, and whose culture has been in other respects neglected. A freiiuent renewal of the beds by planting young stock is essential. " Grower," I am sure, will well remember the immense croiis of splendid fruit we used to grow at Loxford Hall en light soil with gravel IS inches below the surface— about the worst possible for Strawberries ; now we have a better soil and climate, so that the beds succeed admirably for three years, but they are never allowed to ren)ain four years, because I fear degeneration of the stock. We have grown Keens' Seedling for twenty- five years from the same stock, and do not trace any degeneration. Our forced plants bore an excellent crop of as good fruit early in the present season as 1 ever saw. We manure our ground well, cultivate it 18 inches deej), and take the runners from the best fruitful plants ; plant them early and never disturb the roots by digging deeply amongst them after they are established. Keens' Seedling was raised from seeds of the white Chili Strawberry in the year 1800 at Isleworth, and it can be produced in the same district after eighty-five years of as good quality as ever. We ought not to blame natural causes for its decline until we have done our best by good cultivation and judicious selection of the earliest runners, llritish Queen is really more difficult to manage than Keens' Seedling, but when well cultivated it is the best Straw- berry in cultivation, new or old. It certainly succeeds best by an annual renewal of young plants. The cultivator must be on the alert to secure the runners from the best plants as soon as they are ready. Whether they are intended to be planted out or grown in pots they should be layered into 3-inch pots. The ground ought to be quite ready for them by the end of July, and they should be planted out 2 feet apart, allowing the same distance between the rows. If the ground can be prepared two months or even more, the plants will do much better than if the soil where they are to be planted has borne a crop almost up to the time of setting out the Strawberry plants. The previous crop drains the moisture out of the soil, and no sub- sequent artificial waterings can make up for the loss uf natural moisture. All runners must be pinched from the young plants as soon as they can be handled with the fingers. Keep the Dutch hoe at work until the end of the season to destroy the earliest trace of weeds, and the plants — even of liriti.sh Queen — will succeed admiraldy. The true old variety is easily dis- tinguished from Dr. Hogg, but not so easily from a variety named Mr. Kadclyfl'e, and I fancy this last-named variety, fi'ora its being rather hardier and freer in growth than British Queen, is more grown than the ori;.;inal stock. My advice as to varieties is tliis : Plant Pauline foi- the earliest in a border under a south wall. It does better the .second and third years. Black Prince for a few dishes very early ; Keens' Seedling and President to succeed it, and British Queen for the best quality and for exhi- bition. J. Douglas. PACKING PEACHES. Seeing "Y. A. H.'s" letter in The Garden, July 1 (p. 4), on the subject of packing Peaches, kc, I should be very glad to know whether the paper shavings referred to are made of tissue paper, or whether a harder material will answer the purpose, al.so it such shavings can be bought .' Should the Peaches be wrapped in tissue paper in addition, and is it necessary to have a box with separate partitions of cardboard or other material for each Peach .' I presume, when the fruit has to travel a long distance, a second layer could not be placed above the first. I have an abundance of Peaches and Nectarines, most of which every year almost go to waste, as I am seldom at home after the middle of July, and hitherto I have found sending the fruit in wool, &c., .=0 unsatisfactory, that I have given up getting any forwarded. I should be glad also it you could tell me the best means for packing Grapes to travel by rail. Figs, I fear, are too delicate to bear transit, but it you know of any means of packing them, perhaps you will kindly tell me. — W. H. Poe (Lieut.- Colonel). *,* In answer to the above query re packing Peaches, kc, the paper shavings referred to by me in my original article are from tissue paper ; a harder material would not be adapted for the pur- pose. They m.ay be purchased from wholesale stationers. Each Peach must be first wrapped in a square of tissue paper, not too large nor too small, just large enough to comfortably wrap around the fruit with sufficient for screwing up together to prevent the paper from opening out. The boxes I use tor the purpose are made of light deal, and the ^ize 18 inches by 12 inches, depth 'ih inches, inside measurement. A box of this size will hold from eighteen to two dozen fruits, according to their size, in a single layer. Double layers will not carry well, and there are no partitions. The fruits are simply packed together with sufficient shavings at the bottom to form a soft bed, and also suffi- cient between each fruit to keep them apart, taking particular care to fill up all interstices, so that there cannot be the slightest oscillation. I gene- rally tie three such boxes together. When required for packing, the fruits should not be allowed to become dead ripe before being packed, neither must they be almost in a hard state, as, of course, such as these do not have their flavour fully developed. The fruits should also be gathered in the early morning whilst they are cool, as the fruits if gathered warm and at once packed are liable to decay. Each fruit should be grasped firmly by the hand, when it it is ready it will part from the tree with the slightest pressure. A pad of cotton wool may certainly be used to pre- vent injury by pressure of the hand. Peaches which are allowed to fall into nets will never carry well. As to the best modes of packing Grapes, it will de- pend upon the quantity and purpose they are re- quired for. For instance, tor market, when not less than four good-sized bunches are to be sent off at once, cross-handled baskets are the best. These are made of light wicker, and are light, yet strong and durable. A few shavingsare placed at the bottom and around the sides, and the baskets are lined with paper. I should have mentioned that each of the bas- kets will hold from iilbs.to 12 Ibs.ot Grapes. Bunches are placed at each end and one on each side, each being firmly tied to the basket, as by being placed in this manner the bloom on one side of the bunch re- mains intact. After the bunches are firmly secured, it will be necCFS.ary to lace some strong string a few times across the top and above the bunches to prevent the paper covering from touching the tops of the berries. In case any berries show above the rim, fix some light willow twigs or even split cane across. The top must now be covered with strong brown paper, that with a shiny surface being the best for the purpose, and the whole be firmly tied up. A paper pasted on the top, " Grapes with Caie," should carry them safely to their destina- tion. Packages of fruit done up in this manner generally have careful treatment from the railway servants. Hundreds of such b.iskets no doubt reach Covent Garden weekly through the season. Where only one or two bunches are to be sent off, say from 2 lbs. to i! lbs. weight each, light wooden boxes are the best. Size 13 inches by 8 inches, and the same in depth. The bottom and sides should be lined with shavings and also paper. The bunches must be placed one at each end, the points being towards the centre, and the ends tied to the box. The paper having been gathered to- gether, all interstices must be filled up, sufficient being placed on the top to keep all secure before the lid is firmly fixed. It must be quite obvious that by sending such small quantities the bloom is slightly rubbed. Figs certainly are not well adapted tor packing, but I have sent them securely by rail to the dis- tance of 200 miles. The Figs must not be " dead " ripe, and each fruit should be wrapped in a young and soft Vine leaf previous to being wrapped in tissue paper. Shallow boxes suitable for one layer should be used ; each fruit should be packed in the same way, the ends pointing upwards, or rather in a slanting direction. — Y. A. H. Market Strawberries. — For years past the average quality of forced Strawberries brought into Covent Garden has not been so low as this season. The samples of large highly-coloured fruit which generally characterise the produce of London growers have been rare, and the ordinary run of fruit has not been much better than what are com- monly termed seconds. Some little time ago I mentioned in The Garden that I thought my plants were not throwing up so strongly as in pre- vious years, attributing this to the effects of an ab- normally dry and parching autumn. I still think that want of moisture at that time influenced the bearing powers of the plants to a considerable ex- tent, but probably the sunless character of the early spring months had a weakening effect. We had very few sunny days in March and AprU, not more than two in the latter month, and no plant more quickly resents the continued application of artificial warmth with a deficiency of light than the Strawberry. The season being so late, the plants had to be pushed along with more fire-heat than usual to get them in just in the height of the London season. The consequence was that the foli- age became weakened and the flower trusses were not nearly so strong as usual. Naturally, big fruit cannot come from small flowers. A deficiency in yield, in combination with a dull sale, has made the season a poor one for growers of forced fruit. In late years there appears to have been nothing to stimulate the sale of early Strawberries. Formerly there came from time to time a great demand, last- ing a couple of days or so, and then prices ran up 2s. or 3s. per pound, but this rarely occurs now. J. C. B. SHORT NOTES.— FRUIT. Water Melons from the United States.— We understand that a large cunsignmeut of the finest Georgia Water Melons h:is just been made from Cin- cinnati to London. Should it prove successful, it is in- tended to make similar shipments reguliirly. The Strawberry season.— The (luantity of Strawberries under cultivation in Kent this year is far in excess of anything which has ever been known, and is likely to still greatly increase next year. In one day from the Sandwich station idone over thirty tons were sent to the London, Manchester, Edinburgh, and Glasgow markets. Seedlings of Hemerocallis fulva. — I shall be grateful to any of your readers who will write and give me their experienceasto the variability of seed- lings of Hemerocallis fulva, or who will raise it from seed in fair quantity and kindly communicate to me their results, which shall be duly acknowledged. My reason is the following : There is in the forma- tion of this plant a peculiarity which should, ac- cording to Weissmann's views, lead to exceptional variability of the seedlings, but, so far as I know, we have no evidence on the subject.— Marcus M. HARTOG, lloijnl Uaii-crsUy, Dublin. July 18, 1891.] THE GARDEN. 47 Rose Garden. H.P. EOSE BAKONESS EOTHSCHILD. This fine Hybrid Perpetual, raised by Fernet and sent out in 1869, is still one of the most distinct Eoses we have ; remarkable for its upright sturdy habit and large handsome blossoms, which are of a beautiful shade of pale shining flesh. Baroness Eothschild was the first of its rican cousins hailed with delight, and one that the younger and more massive Mer- veille de Lyon has not as yet been able to supersede, are direct sports from the Baroness, while as for seedlings, the late Mr. Bennett's Her Majesty, amongst others, owes its parentage on one side to the same source, a fact that I venture to say proves this variety to be of immense value to the hybridist. As a garden plant this Eose is extremely useful, especially if it is used for Hose Barunes3 UotliscUilJ. race, and owing to its singularly distinct cha- racter and otlier good qualities, this Eose took an immediate foothold, both as a garden and exhibition variety, and was for many years held by good judges to be one of the best twelve exhibition Eoses. Baroness Eoth- schild, however, po.ssesses another claim upon the rosarian's admiration and affection. To this Rose we are indebted for the first really usef\d white Hybrid Perpetual Eose our gardens ever held. iMr. George Paul's White Baroness, a fair English Rose that our Anio- the purpo.se of massing ; its upright habit and the erect manner in which the flowers are produced fit it in every way for close plant- ing, while the manner in which the flowers open with the greatest freedom in cool, dull, damp weather is another point in its favour that should be borne in mind by those who have to provide a continuous supply of good Eoses for cutting. Then, again, its liar linoss of constitution and the long peiiod of time that the phint.s retain their vigour and lilooni- ing ])ower are other reconuuendations. It is also admirably adapted for forcing. In America it is one of the most popular for this purpose, the florists in that country in- variably including it in their annual im- portations of plants rerpiired to sujiply the poiiular demand existing for very early Rose blooms. With regard to cultivation, it is one of the most accommodating, but from its habit of growth naturally dwarf plants are more effective than standards, plants in this latter form presenting ratlier too formal an appearance to be desirable. It succeeds well on seedling Brier and ]]rier cutting stocks, but I always found this Rose to be one of those that invariably did best on the Manetti. At Ledbuiy all three stocks were used, and the last in this particular instance pro\-ed the most satisfactory. It is also worth noting tliat this beautiful Eose grows and flowers most freely on its own roots. Eor exhibition, and indeed for general purposes, it will bo found desirable to thin out the late- ral shoots that are generally thrown out almost as soon as the terminal flower bud has formed on the leading shoot, otherwise these growths are liable to overgrow the flower-buds from which the best results should be obtained. The annexed engraving gives an excellent representation of what was evidently a fine example of this Eo?e— a handsome three- cpiarter expanded bloom, the beauty of wduch is enhanced by the ample and healthy foliage with which the flowering gio vth was' clothed. The one, and it is th? only defect I could ever find in this Eo;e, is that which, alas ! we too fre(iuently meet with in some of our most beautiful Roses— lack of perfume, and no Eose, however beautiful, can bo considered perfect without that charm. A large bed of this Eose planted against a background of Sweet Brier forms a delightful combination,' as the fragrance of the modest wilding lends to her more distinguished sister that attrac- tion which Nature alone can provide. W. J. Grant. King's Acre, Herefurd. Rose Maiden's Blush.— Few of the ereat; Koses if planted in some odd corner and in poor soil would go on year after year producing fine flowers in profusion and true character. \et as each year comes round we may see Maiden's Blush in cottage gardens in every conceivable posi- tion and variety of soil, but always full of blossom Among the hundreds of kinds we grow or know it IS distinct and most lovely in colour. If it clusters against the cottage wall it is never severely pruned or trained, whilst the bushes in the open are equally lovely. In one cottage garden that I some- times see It forms a hedge, and a most beautiful one, cutting off the flower border from the vege- table quarters beyond. It is strange that such Koses should be despised, or at any rate neglected in larger gardens, where we might grow them in association with the best shrubs, as they need no high cultivation.— A. H. Hybrid Tea Roses.-Of late years there has been a considerable addition made to these, and it is quite time a special class was introduced for them into the prize schedules at all Rose shows The National Rose Society has decreed that these Hybrid Teas shall be shown among the Hybrid Perpetuals or in mi.xed classes, and I for one quite agree with these being kept away from their more delicate relations-the pure Tea-scented section c£ 48 THE GARDEN. Mui.Y 18, 1891. Koses. The highly coloured Teas, such as Mine. Lambard, Alphonse Karr, &c , seem to spoil the soft effect of a box of delicate blooms, consisting of such as Souvenir d'Elise Vardon, Comtesse de Nadaillac, and similar kinds ; indeed I do not like any Teas in an exhibition box to be more highly coloured than Souvenir d'un Ami and Catherine Sler- met. Lady Mary Fitzwilliam, Grace Darling.and Vis- countess Folkestone, as well as a few more Hybrid Teas, have far more of a Tea Rose appearance than Mme. Lambard and Alphonse Karr — that is as regards the softness of their colours. I think there are quite enough varieties of Hybrid Teas to form a class for twelve singles, and in that case I would suggest that La France be included with them, as this Rose has quite as much right there as many others. Hybrid Teas are among the best of all Roses for forcing, especially those varieties which partake of the robust Hybrid Per- patual nature and still retain the free-flowering qualities of the Teas— such, for instance, as Lady Mary Fitzwilliam, Comte Henri Rignon, &c. — R, ROSE STOCKS. The present season again illustrates the great value of the Manetti stock for producing early Roses. Maiden Roses upon this stock are just coming into flower, while those upon the seedling Brier are quite a fortnight later. Tea Roses upon hedge Briers are also much earlier than those upon the seedling or cutting Brier. The question of stocks for Roses is of great importance, and no hard and fast rule can be laid down, as the stock most suitable for one Rose upon a light soil will not do for the same variety upon a stiflE or clayey soil. As a general rule all Teas do well upon the Brier in any form, but where strong growing Teas are to be grown upon light soil, I much prefer the De la Grefferaie stock, as this seems capable of producing more nourishment for the Rose than any other stock can procure from light ground, excepting the Manetti, which is not suitable for Tea Roses out of doors, though strange to say they will thrive well under glass upon it. For Hybrid Perpetual and Bourbon Roses the Manetti is the stock most generally used, especially for light soils. There are a few kinds among the Hybrid Perpetuals that will not do well on this stock, viz., Captain Christy, Marie Verdier, and a few others. These must be grown on the Brier. Where one possesses a fairly stiff soil and can grow Roses upon either stock, it is well to have a few of each kind upon Brier and Manetti. By adopting this plan we can have Roses all the summer, as when the first flowers of those on the Manetti are going off, the plants upon the Brier are in full flower. Another good point is that when plants on the Manetti are almost denuded of leaves from a dry autumn or red rust, those on the Brier are still in full leaf and health. Some Roses will not do nearly so well in one district as in another no matter what stock they may be grown on. Dr. Andry and Xavier Olibo, for example, are two Hybrid Perpetuals that do well with me, and yet only a few miles from here one of my Rose-growing friends cannot get a decent flower or plant of either of these kinds, although he has tried to grow them in all forms and upon different stocks. Such instances as this could be increased, and it must not be put down to these kinds being grown upon unsuitable stocks. RiDGEWOOD. Rose Mme. Angele Jacquier.— This appears to be one of the least satisfactory of the many fine kinds of Tea Roses that Guillot has sent out, and I have waited several years before obtaining blooms that gave an idea of what the variety was like. Even under favourable conditions it turns out an uncer- tain Rose that cannot be generally recommended. Upon a group of a dozen plants I have had three or four blooms in character and they were large in size, good in shape, and distinct in colour, creamy- white, deepening into bright rose [on the centre of the flower, which is borne erect on a stout footstalk. Many fine buds appeared which never opened. It would be a good Hose if we could rely upon it, but that seems out of the question, and when first-rate kinds are plentiful there is no need to trouble about one that gives three good blooms in the same number of years upon a group of about a dozen plants. — A. H. HYBRID PERPETUAL ROSES IN POTS. Wheke the dark-coloured Hybrid Perpetuals are well grown and properly treated, they may be flowered with certainty in any ordinary greenhouse, although it is far best to have a house devoted entirely to Roses, as indeed it is to any plants that are wanted in the finest state of growth and beauty. Roses iu pots are easily grown compared with many subjects, and no one need fail to produce blooms of first-rate (|uality if proper care and attention are devoted to them. It is essential that the plants selected for tliis purpose be well worked, whatever stock they may be on. The chief cause of failure comes from using plants that are not budded or grafted well down upon tlie roots of the stock ; whether this be Brier, De la GreflTeraie, or Ma- netti, suckers are certain to be very trotdjle- some if any space be left between the worked part of the stock and the point where the roots commence. Not only are badly worked plants prone to produce suckers, but by their not be- ing worked as low as possible, it is not easy to cover the junction of Rose and stock with soil, and consequently the Rose has no chance of producing small rootlets of its own, and which would greatly assist in its support. The section of Roses (Hybrid Perpetuals) that I am treating upon mure particularly is, in my estimation, far best when worked upon the Manetti stock, either as budded or grafted plants. A few varieties, such as the smooth-wooded Victor Verdier, Captain Christy, Reynolds Hole, and a few others, do not do well when budded upon this stock, and yet the same varieties will do well enough when grafted. This is a strange thing to me, but repeated observations have convinced me that such is the case. It is not necessary to have a particular soil for Roses ; any good rich loam will do, provided a dash of sand be added to keep it fairly porous, and that the pots are efficiently drained. This last point is of great importance in growing pot Roses, and unless it is well attended to, all efiorts will result in failure. Plants procured from the open ground and intended for potting are much best when lifted about the end of September or beginning of October, according to season, the aim being to pot them just at the time growth has ceased and before all the foliage has fallen. When treated iu this man- ner and syringed frequently, to prevent the wood shrivelling, such plants will begin to emit new roots at once and become jjartly established in their pots before winter sets in. The plants should be kept cool and moi-,t and not tempted to make any wood growth, simply assisted in the further ripening and development of the wood made during summer. Such jilants may be slightly forced during the following spring, and will make grand subjects for forcing the ensuing season. Hybrid Perpetuals are unlike the Tea-scented Roses as regards hard forcing, it being much better to start them earlier and let them come on more steadily than the Tea- scented varieties, at any rate until they have formed growth some 0 inches to !) inches in length. Im- mediately after potting the jjlants should bo plunged in some ashes, cocoa-nut fibre, or simi- lar easily handled material, and on all windy, drying days they will require close attention as regards the syringing to prevent undue cvapo- rati(m of the sap still remaining in the wood. It is best where jiracticable to plunge them iu some deep pit or frame, .so that the lights may be put over them during frosty or very wet weather ; either of these is very detrimental to their early forcing, but a frost of some 2° to 4° after they are well ripened will do no harm. With plenty of air on all favourable occasions and the soil kept neither wet nor dry, they will winter well. In February they will require a slight pruning, and if they are in frames it is well to keep these close for a few weeks pre- vious to prujiing ; this will induce the points of the shoots to grow a little and so start active root growth. In the final pruning the wood must be cut back to two or four eyes, the object being to get a sound bottom and grow well matured wood upon plants that will be thoroughly es- tablished after the first season. As before re- marked, a few fiowers will be produced this spring. The second year's pruning may be done either in November or January, accord- ing to the earliness of the flowers wanted, and, provided the plants have been grown steadily and cle.an during the sjjring months and have had full exposure to air and sun during July and August, there will not bs much difficulty in having flowers soon after, if not at Christmas from plants pruned in October and started at once. After the first year it is not necessary to prune so severely as advised above, cutting the shoots back to G inches or 9 inches from the last season's wood being quite sufficient. One of the main points in forcing Roses of the Hy- brid Perpetual class is to do so as steadily as possible consistent with obtaining floivers at the time required. They reiiuire more air at all times than is good for the Tea and Noisette classes. Liquid manure is of great assistance when the buds have commenced to form, and as Roses are gross feeders, it should be freely applied. Maggot, aphis, and mildew must be battled against in the same way as for the Tea Roses, and if these enemies are but taken in hand at their earliest appearance and treated as so fre- quently recommended in The Garden, very little trouble will be found in keeping them down. The plants will require to be repotted every other season, and this should be done when they are in the same stage of growth as recommended for their first potting. In pot- ting, carefully remove the drainage from among the roots, as if this was well done, the best and healthiest roots will be found among the drain- age, and after having picked out as much of the soil from among the roots as is possible without injuring them, place the plants into one size larger pots than bifore, taking care to pot them firmly and quite as low as they have already beeu growing. Hybrid Perpetual Roses, like the Te.is,requireanabuLdancB of waterwhile in full growth and foliage, and also are much benefited by a morning and evening syringing of clean soft water. This, however, should not be done unless there is a chance of its drying ofl' somewhat before nightfall, or the flower-buds will sometimes rot oil'. After April and May they can hardly receive too much sprinkling while still in growth. Prince Camille de Rohan, Abel Carriere, General Jac(iuominot, Fisher Holmes, (iloiro de Margottin, Marie Baumann, Duke of Edin- burgh, Duke of Wellington, Prince Arthur, Sultan of Zanzibar, Dr. Baillon, Dr. .Andry, Dupny Jamain, Annie Wood, Charles Lefebvre, Louis Van Houtte, Eclair, ami Souvenir de Charles Montault are all dark shaihs that con- trast f.avourably with the soft creamy and yel- lowish tints of the Teas and Noisettes. Such Hybrid I'erpetuals as La France and Baroness Rothschild are well worth growing in July 18, 1891.] THE GAEDEN. 49 any collection, but these lighter shades can be very closely approached in the Teas, and, with the exception of the two named above, Hybrid Perpetuals are not nearly so free-flowering as the sweet-scented Teas and Noisettes. Ridge WOOD. STANDARD ROSES. These are useful when they form large heads and continue in healtli for ten or more years. To have them in this condition two things are essential - the Briers must be stout and well rooted, and none but vigorous hardy Roses should be budded upon them. Many of the Briers torn out of the hedges and sold to nur- serymen cannot have a long existence, no matter what kind of Rose be budded upon them, and when the stock faOs the Roses die, as a matter of course. Quite as many failures of standard Roses arise tlirough the use of inferior Briers as from the inherent weakness of the foster child. Giveo a stout, healthy, well-rooted Brier budded with a vigorous free-growing Rose, there is no reason why it should not live and flourish for twenty years or longer on a good Rose soil or where some special provision has been made. On a good stout stock Gloire de Dijon will live more than twenty years and will form a head 0 feet or more through. Jules JIargottin, Cheshunt Hybrid, Aimee Vibert, and Celine Forestier are also good. The last-named is not so hardy, but it takes a winter of unusual severity to kill it. I lost a fine old plant with a weeping head of considerable size through stress of wea- ther. It flowers so freely when permitted to grow out, that it should be grown as a standard budded not less than 4 feet or 5 feet high. If I had the choice of position I should plant these hardy large-headed standards along the margins of the shrubberies, where they would get some shelter from the wind, as large-headed Roses suffer a good deal from wind storms, more so in summer than in winter. Another old Rose that would make an excellent background stan- dard is Bouquet de Flore. It is an everlasting bloomer, producing great clusters of colour that might be used to light up many a dark corner. Airaee Vibert, again, makes a good standard when budded well up on a stout specimen. Acidalie, an old Bourbon Rose, is a vigorous grower on a standard Brier. There are also several vigorous growers among Hybrid Per- petuals if bright colours are required that would make long-lived plants if more care was taken in the selection of the stocks. John Hop- per, Charles Lefebvre, Abel Carriere, Baroness Rothschild, La France, Ulrich Brunner are all good as standards, and among the Teas, Homi-re and Safrano are hardy and vigorous. I am thinking of Roses for garden decoration only. Growers for exhibition would probably do better to discard standards and trust to' dwarfs on the Brier. These are cheaper and more easily renewed, and young blood is essential to the very finest quality of bloom. E. H. SHORT NOTES.— ROSES. Moss Hose Blanche Moreau.— This is the best of all the white-flowered Moss Roses. It is of strong habit, a free bloomer, and should be grown in every garden. Rose Souvenir de Gabrielle Drevet is one of Guill.jt's sterling prodiieti(ins, but its unoertain'y in growth will probably diminish its deserved pnpnlarity. We have a group, but althoufh tliis is not perfection, several of the plants have been, and the way in which they flowered and the distinctive character and colour- ing of the flowers more than justify this present note of praise. It is certainly a vigorous Rose, or individual plants would not have done so well. The flower.^ stand erect, white at the base, shading to salmon and passing to pink ; the centre of the bloom is full, made of narrow or folded erect petah which are of the brightest peai-h-piuk luie. It is a most effective Rose upon the bush. — A. II. ROSES FOR BUTTON-HOLES. Those who have to supply flowers for button-holes, A:c., need to know and grow in the best way those Roses most suitable for the purpose, for it cannot be admitted that the buds of the finer, full, and very double Roses are suitable. For example, the buds of Gloire de Dijon, Perle des Jardins, Souvenir d'un Ami, and others, although they may be of per- fect form, have a lumpiness which unfits them for this particular use. We cannot have Roses that will answer every purpose, supplying specimen blooms for the exhibition, buds for wearing, and creating an effect in the garden as well. Yet of Roses that will serve these respective ends there is no lack, and as regards those that will give proper buds for button-holes, we may find in them a double source of pleasure, unless, of course, we are growing in quantity for profit and cut the buds as fast as they are fit. The Roses best adapted for button-holes are those whose flowers are not very double, but whose buds are long and pointed, and produced in enormous quantities, and that may be relied upon to open when the weather is unfavour- able. Unless our wants are very great we may grow them in the flower garden and gather such buds as we want, and still the groups be effective. Even those who grow for profit might try and do something outside of their glasshouses. It is very nice to have Rose buds whilst the bushes in the open air are yet dormant, and some of the kinds thus forced come true to character, chiefly those that are pure and self-coloured, such as Niphetos. Others, perhaps the majority of those enumerated below, only reveal their full charms in the open air and beneath a summer sun, and to force such as these into bloom is to produce them out of character. There is the warmth, but not the sun to dye them as it were, and develop suffusions of lovely shades upon the chief colour. Even the tawny buds of the old Safrano are enhanced by the sun, through whose agency the external petals become a reddish brown colour. I imagine that this Rose must be largely grown for button-holes, &o., in France. At a Chrysanthemum show in a provincial town both last year and the year be- fore in competition for prizes for wreaths, crosses, hand, and button-hole bouquets, I noticed one particular florist had bouquets, sprays, and buds of Safrano Rose and foliage alone. Their colour showed unmistakably that they were of open air growth, and yet I knew from the time of the year (December) that they could not have been obtained in England. I inquired of the florist in question concerning them, and he informed me that he got them from France, and that he was regularly supplied two or three times a week. The buds are cut when very small and only just showing colour. When received they are put into warm water and they are fit for use the next day. The first lot this florist obtained was placed in warm water and put in a warm room for the night, and the next day they were fully opened, and, of course, useless for any purpose. Safrano in English gardens, too, is very satisfactory ; it is early, continuous, and late in the production of its charming buds. Ma Capucine is a perfect little gem for button- holes. It is a very dwarf, but none the less free- blooming Rose, good in summer and autumn, but only in the bud state. The buds are of an indescribable colour— a copper hue, deepen- ing into crimson. Description is needless, as anyone who has once seen the buds of this Rose will not forget their beauty, and those who see them for the first time areal ways charmed with them. I do not suppose that anyone grows it in sufiicient quantity to put bunches of buds into the flower market. If they did, they would assuredly sell, as, although the flower-purch.asing public are rather discriminating, that apricot-coloured Carnation Mrs. Reynolds Hole at once took the popular fancy, and this Rose is of a similar hue. L'Eli^gante is another most useful little Rose, a dwarf grower, but a wonderful bloomer, so free and continuous, and having charming buds, which are white at the base, but deepen into flesh-pink, and the petals are bordered with rose. The buds of Anna Olivier are beautiful for any purpose, and not too large for the button-hole if the bushes are carrying plenty of flowers. Among old Roses Mme. Perny is almost lost sight of, but its buds are exquisite, of a clear saffron-yellow, passing to a lighter hue. Amazone, too, affords such long lovely lemon-yellow buds, that it is quite indispensable, and Niphetos, both the dwarf and the climbing forms, are well known for their particular usefulness in this respect. The late summer and autumn buds of this Kofe are generally profuse, always lovely, and so pure in colour. The old Isabella Sprunt and the newer Mme. Chedane Guinoisseau are two gems for pro- ducing yellow buds, especially the latter-named kind, wliich is about one of the freest, best, and most certain yellow Teas for the purpose. Mme. Falcot is one of the recognised button-hole varie- ties, and the improvement upon it (Mme. Charles) must be included. It is sometimes difficult to see where these so-called improvements have been made, but concerning Mme. Charles there is no difficulty. It is simply a grand Rose, the apricot- yellow of Mme. Falcot deepening into copper suf- fused with salmon, and the flower has rather more substance, but the bud is neither too large nor double. Luciole gives us long pointed carmine-rose and copper-yeUow buds in the greatest profusion, most effective upon the plant and very attractive when cut. It is as yet comparatively new, having only been sent out about five years, but all who have grown it speak of its freedom, beauty, and attrac- tiveness. Marquise de Vivens, too, is best as a bud, the tips and edges of the petals being bright with a glowing carmine-rose colour, which gradu- ally fades away to creamy white at the external base of the petals. Dr. Grill will probably rarely come up to the exhibition standard of merit, but those in search of a good Rose for any other pur- pose must include it. Its effect in a group is splendid, its adaptabUity to the purpose under notice of the first order, as it is vigorous, and pro- duces an amazing abundance of bloom from earliest summer till latest autumn ; the buds are most ex- quisite in colour, an indescribable commingling of lovely shades ; and last, yet not least, none are more powerfully fragrant. It is a Rose that can hardly be over- praised, and almost as much may be said of Camoens, which, if it is a hybrid Tea, is a Rose of first rank for any purpose but exhibiting, a most profuse bloomer, producing great clusters of fine buds, which are of a bright china rose colour, shaded at the base with white and pale yellow. Princesse de Sagan will be useful for furnisliing a quantity of pretty little buds of a deep velvet crim- son colour, very effective and without objection- able purple shades in it, whilst 'Souvenir de David d'Angers, an old, very fragrant little-known Rose, is capable of giving almost any quantity of buds of a lighter and brighter red hue. The above selection should meet the desires of everyone, as the kinds embrace all the shades of colour found in Roses. A. H. Rose Pride of Reigate — This has been well described as the " finest and only good striped Hybrid Perpetual Rose," and a remarkably fine bloom of it was shown at the exhibition of the National Rose Society at the Crystal Palace on the ■1th inst. by Mr. C. J. Salter, gardener to Mr. T. B. Haywood. Woodhatch, Reigate. It originated at Reigate— I think with Mr. Brown, gardener to Mrs. Waterlow — and it is owing to some peculiarity of the soil that it appears in its best striped form at Reigate. When charmingly striped with white and hght crimson ground it is very pretty, f'he bloom shown by Mr. T. B. Haywood at the Crystal Palace occupied the upper left-hand corner of one of his boxes, where it was seen to the best advantage. It may be described as being fairly constant, and should it fail to come striped, it is yet a good flower, for Countess of Oxford is a leading exhilution Hy tirid 50 THE GARDEN. [Jui.v 18, 1891. Perpetual, and was prominent at the National Rose show on the 4th inst. — R. D. Flower Garden. TROPICAL NYMPH.EAS IN THE OPEN AIR AT BERLIN. The tropical Nympha3as, and especially the African species (N. Lotus, N. zanzibarensis, &c. ), far excel most of the species of cooler climes in the dimensions of their leaves and in the size and colours of their ilowers — so much so, that in our colder latitudes lovers of these flowers will sometimes incur considerable ex- pense in supplying them artificially with the conditions of growth which will enable tlie cul- tivator to enjoy the full development of their beauty. In some botanic gardens and in the gardens of some rich amateurs we meet with glasshouses in which spacious tanks of water are kept constantly warm by means of a power- ful heating apparatus, and the interior of these covered aquariums often presents a heightened and more pleasing eflect when contrasted with the winter's snow or the summer's drought which may prevail at the time out of doors. In somewhat warmer latitudes such an expensive mode of culture is not necessary, and then tanks in the open air of dimensions projjortioned to the size of the plants and deepest at the centre take the place of tanks under glass. A few coils of hot-water pipe sunk into the water raise its temperature to the proper degree dur- ing the early period of the growth of the plants, whde all through the summer the sun's rays, acting on the comparatively small volume of water in the tank, heat it sufficiently to induce and maintain an abundant and continuous bloom on the plants. It is in this way that M. Hur- teraut, in the vicinity of New York (i.e., in the same latitude as Madrid), successfully grows the fine Nymph;ea Lotus, N. scutifolia, N. zanzibarensis, ifec, and the numerous forms or hybrids of the iirst-naraed species. Cultivated here under less artificial condition?, these plants seem to harmonise more with the surrounding vegetation, which is quite of a southern type. But what will your readers say to the astonish- ing spectacle of tropical Nympluuas growing and flowering in the open air in pieces of water of some considerable area, and that, too, in the latitude of Berlin ! This is a sight which may be seen in the garden of M. Borsig during many of the summer months. The solution of the riddle (which for a long time has been no secret to many of your readers) is, that an ap- plication has been made of the warm water, formed by tlie condensud steam, which issues from the machinery workshops of M. Borsig which stand clo.se to the garden. The idea of utilising this condensed steam in raising the temperature of jjieces of water first occurred to the grandfather of the jiresent proprietor, who being a well-informed lover of gardening, made his park and even his dwelling-house a centre and museum of the most interesting horticul- tural coUoctiiins. A description of all these would occupy too much space here. I shall confine myself to tiie pieces of water in the park which are tilled with Nyraph:uas. The grounds are about 5 acres in extent, and are pretty thickly wooded. Through them flows a canal raised 4 feet or .5 feet above the level of the river S[]ree which runs close by. This canal ia divided into two or three basins averag- ing 1)7 feet in length and 32 feet in width. On the banks liandsome trees temper the sunshine, especially about the upper basin, into which the warm water flows under gentle pressure through a pipe about as thick as one's wrist and a few yards in length. Its temperature on issuing from the pipe is about 70' Fahr. , and in the basins from 01' to O'J' Fahr. The varieties of NymphKa grown here are pretty numerous, and have more or less inter- crossed with one another. The principal one, both in numbers and efl'ectiveness, is a variety of N. rubra, seven or eiglit strong specimens of which grow in the upper basin. This variety has peltate leaves, brown underneath, and at least 10 inches across, floating on the surface of the water and half raised at the centre of the cluster of foliage. The flowers, which stand from G inches to 1 foot above the water, are of a fine rose colour, and more than 8 inches in diameter, with very numerous, thin, narrow, limp petals. The characteristics of the plant very much resemble those of another hybrid, which was formerly named N. Ortgiesiano- rubra, but are on a much larger scale. Nymphiea rubra, considered as the type of this species, if it is one, is not so largely developed as the handsome plant of which I have just spoken. Among.st the blue- flowered kinds, N. zanzi- barensis appears to yield the best results. Its clusters of foliage, which are not so broad as those of N. rubra, are more compact, and the leaves are greener in hue. Its handsome flowers remain open only for a few hours every day. A hybrid between the last-mentioned species and N. rubra was pointed out to me. This was still a young plant, but was commencing to flower. Its flowers are of a violet-rose colour. N. scutifolia does not flower so well as N. za,nzi- barensis. A variety named N. C(erulea odorata has quite a pleasing fragrance ; it is of vigorous growth and carries its flowers fully 10 inches above the water. N. Lotus has not as yet flowered here, although it produces an abundance of its dentate leaves, which are green under- neath. These Nymjihfeas remain in the open air for about six months. Towards the month of October the water in the basins is let ofl' into the river Spree, and the rhizomes of the plants are taken up, washed, drained dry, and wrapped up in dry Moss, after which they are stored under the shelves in a temperate house, where they remain dormant and in good condition during the winter. In the following March a little water is given to them, and they are re- moved to a house which is slightly heated, where they soon put forth new h aves and later on fresh roots. About the eiul of April or early in May they are replanted in the l)asins, each rhizome having a quantity of rich soil or compost placed around it. The warm water is then let into the basins, and these very soon afterwards re.sume the imposing aspect of a river in the tropics. — Maukice L he 'V'ilmorin, in liiruc Hortlcole. Annual Chrysanthemums.— I do not find any of these more useful or pleasing than is our native segetum when it has gone through a course of cultivation and selection. The fine form we now have has flowers fully double the size of those ordi- narily seen in fields — is indeed three times the size, not in disc, but in length of petals, which almost makes the flowers of the character of those of frutescens. It is in its rich yellow hue that so much of its usefulness is found, as none others give the same deep colour. I am blooming for the first time Chrysanthemum Sibthorpi, which is a very close ally to f egetum — might, in fact, be taken for it, bjt the fnlia^^e is rather broader and paler iiued ; the habit is the same, the flowers also, but they a'e of one uniform straw yellow colour, slightly cupped when fully expanded, and at night the petals reflex hard back. The flowers of segetum have not this peculiarity, and when fully expanded are invariably very flat. The coronarium section has rather poor single flowers ; indeed, they are usually of an uncertain simi-double kind, and lack that evenness and regularity of character found in true singles. The best form ia the true double yellow, and to keep that true it is found best to propagate it from cuttings. The double white is not a very pure form, and is in its doubleness unre- liable from seed. Those who are fond of varied hued flowers and some very striking combinations will find in the carinatum section much to please them. The finest named varieties are really tricolors, and it all do not come true from seed, at least a goodly proportion does. Such varieties as W. E. Glad- stone, The Sultan, and Lord Beaconsfield are beautifully marked. All these Chrysanthemums rank amongst easily raised hardy annuals, although I prefer sowing under glass and dibbling the plants out thinly to give them ample room. — A. D. THE HEKBACEOUS BORDER. It may be well to give a reminder in connection with this part of the flower garden that if a divi- sion of plants is contemplated in the comirg autumn, either to restrict the size of clumps or to plant elsewhere, that as the different things are in full flower there should be a selection of the best and marks made for future guidance. I know there is little time for such woik at the busiest sea- son of the year, when everything in the garden seems to demand immediate attention, but a rapid look round, say twice a week, for this special purpose, if labels or tallies are all ready to hand, will not trespass to any great extent on the time required for other work. To only name a few things, a selection of seedling Carnations is always necessary before layering to retain the best, re- jecting, even if the colour is good and the flower large, all varieties the blooms of which have a tendency to split. Decided colours among Pyre- thrums are often acceptable, and Columbines, also the best of the Tradescants. Where a lot of cut flowers is wanted it is often advisable to devote some part of the garden, a portion, for instance, of the slip border always to be found in old-fashioned gardens, to a few of the herbaceous plants in quantity most suitable for cutting. Masses of the old Pheasant-eyed Pink, of Spiiaia japonica and fili- psndula fl.-pl., of red, pink and white Pyrethrums, of Lilium candidum, of Delphiniums, and of the two varieties of Lathyrus are examples of a few things very handy at the present time. Longstemsof the dark Delphinium associated with Asparagus foliage lock remarkably well in large trumpet vases, and a judicious blending of the two Everlasting Peas is equally light and effective in shallow bowls or small vases. Alstricmerias cannot well be grown too largely for cutting ; there are few flowers that retain their fresh beauty so long in a cut state as these Peruvian Lilies. They might find a place both on the slip border and in the wild garden rather than in the herbaceous border, as their spreading propensity is great where they are doing well. A tew annuals that are grown for cut- ting in similar situations yield annually a good crop of self-sown seedlings, and these if thinned out make larger and more sturdy plants than things transplanted from prepared seed beds, and in addi- tion coine more quickly into flower. I sin glad to notice that the anti-blight powder alluded to a few weeks ago has arrested the disease on Lilium can- didum. The foliage bears marks of the visitation, but the bloom-spike has pushed up safely, and the flowers will expand all right. To the short list of things to be grown in quantity for cut bloom for this season I might have added Hemerocallis in variety. It is wonderful what a quantity of flower can be taken from old established plants, and, like the things already noted, the blooms stand well in water. E. Burbell. ClarriiKi/it. The Sun Roses (Helianthemum). — Few plants will furnish a dry bank with such a wealth of colour as the Sun Roses (Heliantlicmuni) during their flowering season, but to see them at their brightest, early rising is necessary, as at no time do they present such a display as when still iroist July 18, 1891.] THE GARDEN. 51 with the morning's dew, for at that time the richly tinted petals sparkle and glisten in the sunshine as if studded with tiny jewels, while by mid-day. if the weather is bright, many of them will be par- tially, if not wholly, closed. Where planted with the intention of clothing a dry bank, these San Roses are benefited if some little arrangement of rockwork is made thereon, even if limited to a few large stones around each plant or group of plants, as in this way they resist drought better than when planted without any such protection, for the stones can be so arranged as to husband what rain may fall, while they also serve to keep the roots shaded, and consequently to some extent arrest evaporation. The flowers of the different Helian- themums show a wide range of colour, from white to crimson, while the various shades of yellow are also represented among them. In planting these Helianthemums by far the most satisfactory results are obtained when the varieties are grouped together so as to form a mass of each kind, instead of being dotted indiscriminately here and there. Good, clear, decided colours are far preferable to the intermediate tints ; still some or at least one of the varieties with a kind of coppery orange- coloured blossoms should be included, as it is a tint but very little represented among outdoor flowers of any kind. Despite their desirable quali- ties, there is, I believe, very little demand in nnr- Eeries for these Sun Roses. — T. DELPHINIUMS. I DO not think any other plant excels the Del- phinium in variation and beauty of blue tints ; they are as numerous as they are charming. Many of the hues even seem to be outside of blue altogether, and yet allied — as, for instance, some resemble reddish lilac or mauve, and yet have in them a blue shade. Probably the most experienced of artists' colourmen would be puzzled to find descriptive terms for all the many diverse shades which Del- phiniums produce. These variations are even more marked in the double and semi -double flowers where the inner series of petals is usually of a paler hue than is the back series. We have blues that may be termed pure, and yet are of the colour of the Gentianella, whilst others are of the pure creru- lean character, soft and lovely. It may be that a long spike of these flowers is not one of the most grace- fully formed to be found in natural flowers ; that is a matter of taste. We have to take flowers as Nature fashions them, and do not wish all should be of the same pattern any more than that they should all be of the same colour. There is a wide dissimilarity between the tall spikes of a Hollyhock, a Foxglove, or of a Delphinium and the lowly flowers of a Pansy or Violet, and yet aU are beautiful of their kind. The towering spikes of the Hollyhocks wear a very noble appear- ance when seen rising behind dwarf shrubs or bushy- growing plants, or even when well foliaged to the soil they are very effective of themselves. What more striking than a tall Delphinium carrying seve- ral spikes of some (i feet in height with very hand- some leafage close to the ground, forming a pyramid or cone of foliage and bloom. So far as I am aware, the plant in question is free from disease ; at any rate it does not seem to have reached to that pampered condition when disease breaks out mildly, mucli less becomes virulent. It is one of the best features of it that it seeds so freely. There is little need for hard propagation by cuttings or root division. Still, seedlings not only repro- duce most of the parents' best features, but also give enhanced robustness of constitution. Del- phinium seed may be sown at any time almost, but the best time is in the spring, and if in light genial soil is as well outdoors as under glass. No doubt in the case of exceptionally select seed it is wisest to sow in a box under glass, and it may be admitted that if a batch of l>ut 100 plants has been raised, any moderate-sized garden is thus pretty well furnished. So many plants for the second year do not, perhaps, make any great show, but the followiing and later years give a very effective display. Delphinium flowers often wear a dull as- pect when staged for exhibition. I have frequently observed that spikes of bloom, though ever so fine when shown at the James Street Drill Hall, West- minster, exhibit none of that brightness and beauty seen in flowers of similar tints when growing on the plants outdoors. It may always be taken for granted that any spike which attracts attention in a dull light is far more beautiful when seen on the plants in bright light. Some colours seem to lose nothing when cut and exhibited, but all blues seem to suffer very much in the dull light of smoky towns ; hence it is wisest to make selections of va- rieties when required from plants growing in the open. It has been suggested that Delphiniums run as a rule too tall. I do not know that such tallness is an evil. Apart from our not wanting all plants to be of the same dead level, we want variations in height and form as we do in colour. A noble Elm or a Lombardy Poplar is not less beautiful as a tree because it towers up to the skies. What is so charming and grand in earth formations and in trees is equally true with flowers. So long as none are too lofty to be out of the eye line we are con- tent. From the tiny flowers which carpet the earth to the noble Hollyhock, or Delphinium, or the ^'erbascum, there is marvellous variety — so great, in fact, as to excite our highest admiration. A. D. THE PROPflET FLOWER. (arxebia echioide.s.) Tm.s charniiug plant of the Borage family, a native of the Caucasus, Turkestan, Per.sia, &c., The Prophet Flower (Arnebia echioides). where it occurs chiefly in mountainous districts, is ijuite hardy in the climate of France. Al- though it is now some years since it was intro- duced, it is still rare in cultivation. Tliis is to he regretted, as the plant, whicli is dwarf in liabit and very freo-hlnoming, is covered for nearly two month.s with its very handsome yellow flowers, and the flowering stems, more- over, when cut and jilaced in water continue to yield a succession of flowers for a long time. The following is a description of it : — A dwarf, perennial, \ cry branching plant, forming a creeping clump or tuft with numerous stems which terminate in sliort leafy branches, and at lilooming time ju'esenting a perfect mass of flowers which is very .striking and effective. Stems erect, spreading, conipres.sed, covered with sliorl down, and furnished tliroughout their entire length with pale green soft downy leaves; radical leaves of ,■1 \ery long and narrow oval shape and attenuated at both ends ; stem leaves nuich smaller, sessile, erect and slightly twisted. Flowers very numerou.s, monopetalous, funnel-shaped, with a very long, narrow tube, whicli is inserteil in a kind of leafy calyx, the divisions of which are unequal and covered with short down. Corolla of a very fine yellow colour anf this Saxifrage in my alpine garden and in pots. — (). FoRsrER, LehenhoJ. Esoallonia Pliillipiana well deserves the praise you giyo it. It has hero passed through the last win- ter quite unharmed aud therefore may be regarded as perfectly hardy. I should bo much obliged to your correspondent in last week's i'lsue, ".I.M., Char- mouth, Dorset," if he would kindly say where sped of the Wyethia is to be had. — T. M. Bulkeley Owen, Tedsmore Hall, Cisivestnj Orchids. hJELlA GRANDIS TENEBROSA. This, a fine and superior form of the typical plant, has recently come to my notice from a specimen bought in the sale room. It was in- troduced by Mr. Shuttleworth. The flower evidently shows that the plant is of the right sort, and I have little doubt that from the next growth flowers of large size and good colour will be produced. This plant is not the origi- nal one which we had in cultivation under the name of grandis, and I must say I have always been astonished at the name and was .so when I saw it shown in 1850 or 1851 . The same plant was received at Kew some ten or twelve years later, and the same form was figured in the Bot. Mag., t. 5553, and afterwards in Van Houtte's "Flore des Serres," t. 2493, also in the "Orchid Album," t. 123. All these forms are destitute of the rich dark colour in the lip, which is such a distinguishing feature in this fine plant. 1 first saw this variety with Mr. Sander, of St. Albans, some two or three years ago. The next was a grand importation of the plant by Messrs. Charlesvvorth and Shuttle- worth, and afterwards I had a note from .'tome- one in Liverpool claiming to be the original importer, so that the variety has been some- what widely distributed by this time. The plant appears to inhabit warm parts of Brazil, and the part from which it came (Bahia) would seem to indicate that it grew somewhere in the neighbourhood. However, I am of opinion that this form grows in the company of the old and now well-known typical plant. The va- riety tenebrosa grows much stronger ; in fact more after the style of L. purpurata. The flowers are nearly or quite as large as these of that species, having broad sepals and petals of a nankeen-yellow, or deep fawn colour. In general treatment it requires much the same as Liulia purpurata, but it may require to be kept somewhat warmer in winter. It should be potted and well drained, the plants sitting some little distance above the soil on a raised mound, and treated in accordance with the rules laid down for the warmer Brazilian Ljelias. The Messrs. Low, of Clapton, have been the largest importers of the species, but their col- lectois do not appear to have found this form of the plant. Since writing the above I have received a fine flower of thi.s from Mr. Hardy, of Pickering Lodge, Timperley, in Cheshire ; it measures 7 inches across the jietals, tlie sepals and petals being of a deej) bronzy brown ; the [)etal8 are much the broader. Mr. Holmes, the gardener, tells me the phmt was imported in the middle of .January last. Ho says : " The plant has not made a very largo bulb, but it is carrying two flowers, one of which lias be<'n sent you." The lip is deep blackish maroon, the front lobe be- ing deep rose colour, through which run streaks of the dark colour of the throat. It is a magni- ficent flower, and I am fuUy persuaded that if taken care of, this variety will prove to be an exceptionally good one ; it seems to be a very free flowerer also, tor one could hardly have expected the first smdl growtli from an im- ported plant to have produced blooms like these. W. H. Gower. DendrobiumBensunisB From several corre- spondents I have received flowers of this plant. The one from " G. 0." is by far the best. It is a fine white form, the sepals and petals being of good size and making quite a round flower. In addition, the lip is deeply blotched wilh black at the base. The Messrs. Low and Co., of Clapton, had a fine series of this species in their group at the Temple Gardens in May last. There were the dark form, the form without spots in the lip (known by the name of xanthinum), and the variety with brown spots on the yellow. The plants require attention just now, as the new growth is in course of forma- tion. As upon this depends the next flowering, some attention is necessary in order to get the bulbs well developed ami ripened — W. H. G. Aerides virens Ellisi (T/ios. C'rlppa). — This is without doubt the variety sent. The colour and markings of the flowers aud their siz3 at once show this. The plant, although named after Mr. Ellis, was not brought home or coUjcted by him ; in fact, I am not aware of Mr. Ellis having ever journeyed through Java, where this plant comes from. It is much superior to the typical virens ; the plant is stouter, with broad leaves, and the ra- ceme is much longer, thickly set with large and highly coloured flowers, which are white, tipped with bright amethyst, and flushed with rose. The lip is white, spotted with purple, the end of the spur being green, tinged with brown. I hope " T. C." will continue the growth of these distichous-leaved East Indian kinds, for they are in danger of being lost, because they are not cool house Orchids. They do not require so much heat as many suppose, and they may easily be wintered in a temperature of about i;3'.-W. H. G. Anguloa Ruckeri.— For beginners in Orchid culture there is perhaps no genus better suited than the Anguloas. Amongst the most easily grown Orchids, they are also characterised by an abundant and striking foliage, together with flowers which are both handsome and curious. A. Clowesi, with its large bright yellow flowers and strong fragrance, is an Orchid which every garden ought to contain, and the same may be said of A. Ruckeri, a species in most respects similar, except in the colour of its flowers. It blooms during the present month and in Jane. The flowers are cup-shaped, measuring about 2 inches in diameter, and are borne on scapes a foot high, the colour being tawny yellow, profusely blotched inside with crimson. The lip, which is entirely crimson, is so lightly balanced on a hinge as to rock backward and forward whenever the flower is moved. This species was originally discovered in the province of Merida, in Venezuela, occur- ring at an elevation of .'jOOO feet. It appears to have lirst produced flowers in England about l.slii. Both it and A. Clowesi may be grown in either the cool or intermediate house. They naturally grow in shady places, and it is necessary at this .season to keep them guarded from the direct rays of the sun. Cypripedium spectabile at Hextable.— No prettier lianiy flower can be grown than this, and we have a sight here not soon to be forgotten, for be- tween Si lO and 1001 1 blooms are now displaying their beauties, from those with bright rosy purple pouch to large flowers of the purest white. I used to grow this plant in great numbers when with the Messrs. liollisson and Sons, but I never had so many in flower at one time as .are now to be seen at the nursery of Mes.srs. Pitcher and Manda. The plant requires only a shady spot, and the soil should be taken out to a considerable depth and replaced with spongy peat, loam, and good leaf- mould. This requires to be kept very wet, in fact like a bog. The plants do not like to be lifted or disturbed, and should therefore be planted tolerably deep. I like to cover the surface of the soil with 2 inches or I! inches of Sphagnum Moss, and I think if the Hextable plants had been a little more in the shade they would have lasted longer. — W. H. G. Catasetum Bungerothi aureum.— J. Max- well sends me flowers of what I consider to be this variety. The flower is wholly rich yellow instead of ivory-white. Catasetum Bungerothi appears to like basket treatment, and should be well exposed to the sunlight, giving plenty of heat and moisture when growing. It should be well dried off in the winter. A friend writing to me about this plant says : " A plant which I bought for C. Bungerothi, and which loaks like that species, has only produced small green flowers." These I suppose are male flowers, and he must still look for- w.ard to seeing the right ones come. Catasetums are curious plants, and Dr. Lindley's words are well exemplified when he says, " No one can pretend to form a positive opinion as to what are natural, what monstrous, what perminent, or what accidental states of this genus." — W. H. G. Garden Flora. PLATE 814. ANOIGANTIIUS BREVIFLORU^. (with a coloured PLiTE.*) •Originally placed by Harvey under the genus Cyrtanlhus, this plant was afterwards considered by Mr. Baker sufficiently distinct to be separated into a new genus. Although it is only witliin the last few years tliat it has been heard of under cultivation, it was first dis- covered in Natal by K rauss as long ago as 1 .'atal. • IJrawii fin- Thk GARnKN by H. (J. Moiui in the Koyal Gardens, Kew, March 20, ISld. Lithographed and printed by Guillaume Severeyna. fHE GARDEN L,^ 18 I89L aJoIGANTHUS (CYRTANTHUS) breviflorus - inches or a foot apart to form hearts. A fortnight hence an additional sowing should be made, and this pro- bably will form the best material for storing. Tomatoes. — It has not been a very good time so far for plants growing in the open, and where strong plants were set out with a truss of fruit already set, these are the most satisfactory. The recent rains have no doubt been sufficient in many instances to keep the soil in a favourable state as regards moisture, but the positions, close up under south or west walls especially are apt to get very dry, so these should be examined occasionally and water applied when needed. All side growths from the leading or main stems which are being laid in for fruiting should be rubbed out as soon as per- ceived, and this proceeding should be rigorously attended to if the plants are to succeed in any- thing like a satisfactory manner. Tomato growing in the open air is a matter of chance at any time ; consequently in an unfavourable season, like the present so far, it is very essential that all details, however small, be carefully attended to. The same remarks to a certain extent apply to Tomatoes growing in houses. To succeed as they should do, the atmosphere must be kept in a buoy- ant condition, and the late dull and wet state of the weather necessitates this, for only those plants which are growing in a stuffy atmosphere fall a prey to the disease Tomatoes are so subject to. Nor must the fires be allowed to go out, this being false economy ; the pipes during the night and early morning, and also on dull and wet d.ays, should be kept comfortably warm, and then with free, but judicious ventilation, the plants will be proof against disease. The plants most likely to be subject to attacks are those growing in cold hou.ses and which .-ire kept close ; during the day- time whilst (he sun is shining, the temperature ranges very high with almost closed ventilators, and at night-time it is very cold— just the condi- tions to favour disease. In any case where the plants are affected, painting the pipes with liquid July IS, 1891.] THE GARDEN. 57 sulphur, coupled with the judicious treatment as stated above, will lessen the evil. Plants growing in confined borders, boxes, or pots must be kept well supplied with liquid manure and ample top ('ressing to encourage surface feeders, as these form the principal support when the plants are growing in a confined space. A. Y. A. ORCHIDS. The work of the most importance requiring to be attended to at present is the healthy growth and ripening of bulbs and stems. The weather re cently has been dull and cold, but with our well- constructed houses, so fully exposed to light and air, this is not a serious matter, for it the sun shines out brightly the glass must be shaded, and the clouds before the sun are merely a natural shade, which for the time obviates the necessity of any other. The most useful of Orchids for general pur- poses is the old Dendrobium nobUe, and if we take this as the representative of the family and the easiest to manage for successional fiowering, many of the others may be grown with it and treated in the same manner. As regards changes in the general treatment for the entire season, most of the other species require greater attention in the cultural details to bring them up to the highest point of excellence. D. Wardianum, for instance, almost as well known as D. nobile, and even more admired for its great beauty, must be carefully watched when the growths are completed, so that the plants may be removed from the hothouse in which the growths have been developed before the plants start into a second growth, which they have a tendency to do in the forcing atmosphere, A sudden check is not desirable. All the Dendro- biums, of whatever species, should be removed from the house as soon as the last leaves on the top of the growths are fully developed. Place the plants in any intermediate house in a position well exposed to the sun, and gradually withhold water from the roots. They should not be syringed at all. The best both for early and late flowering is D. nobile ; we have had a succession of bloom from Christmas until the middle of June from this spe- cies by keeping the plants in a greenhouse tempera- ture, dry at the roots, and starting a few in a forcing temperature about twice in a month, D. Wardianum may be treated in the same way, but the plants will not maintain their vigour through successive seasons, as D. nobile does. It may be taken for granted th.at if we could hit the right treatment for any class of Orchids, they would maintain their vigour in our hothouses as well as they do in their native countries, but under any conditions the process will be much more easily at- tained in some species than in others. For instance, Vanda cci:rulea declines in vigour, and ultimately becomes worthless as a cultivated plant in some collections where every care is taken and no reasonable expense spared ; while in another case a man with no special knowledge of his work will hit upon the right treatment by mere chance and grow the same plant with yearly increasing vigour for a quarter of a century or longer ; but let the plants pass out of his hands into another collection, their very existence may be imperilled. Those who have some knowledge of different col- lections of Orchids will know that each cultivator has a special class of plants, or rather particular genus of Orchids, which he can grow well, and does not succeed to the same extent with others, although he may have no absolute failures. So ca- pricious are some of our favourites, that they will actually succeed well in one part of the house, but may refuse to thrive in another. This does not apply to all (.)rchids, of course ; such species as Dendrobium nobile and Cattleya Mossia; are well- known kinds that may be cultivated without any dread of failure by the inexperienced gardener or amateur. As a rule, Orchids during the growing period must have more shade than at other times ; this applies more particularly to some species, the popular Cu-'logyne cristata and its varieties being a case in point. During the growing period, which is in the summer months, the plants ought to be placed on the shady side of the Cattleya house, when they will make larger bulbs and more healthy deep green leaves than if they are freely exposed on the sunny-side. On the same principle, (Idontoglossum vexillarium is placed on the stage at the north side and O. citrosmum on the south, for even when in growth the latter, like the La3lias and Cattleyas, prefers a sunny position. These minor details may not seem of sutlicient importance to some people, but the successful cultivator knows that it is only by attending to minute details that success is possible. We have still some repotting of plants to attend to amongst the various species of Cypripediums, some of which will be divided into smaller speci- mens, as they become unwieldy, when one man cannot easily move them about, A few plants have become atllioted with scale, which spreads rapidly in the higher summer temperatures. This had to be washed off with a sponge and soft soapy water before repotting the plants. Al- ways see that the plants are quite clean be- fore repotting. We have finished the repotting of all the summer flowering Cattleyas except C, Warneri, which passes into the resting period at this time and does not make any fresh roots until the time of growth begins again. This Cattleya is usually repotted in February, Odontoglossums in the cool house may be repotted when they are starting into growth. I fancy that is the best time to do this, and if the work is necessary, we do not care much about times and seasons, for they do not have a regular period of rest and growth so dis- tinctly marked out as some Orchids have. Some species do well and flower freely in any part of the house ; others require a light position near the glass. The smaller-growing Odontoglossums seem to do best in small pans or baskets suspended from the roof glass. Amongst cool Orchids requiring similar treatment are the pretty little species of Oncidium named O, Phalainopsis, O. rubigenum, and O. cucullatum ; they are soon lost among the general collection of plants on the stage, but sus- pended from the roof glass in the shallow Orchid pans they continue to grow and flower freely if replanted once a year before starting to grow ; they must of course be kept clean and carefully watered. This house should be freely ventilated in favour- able weather, as growths made in the summer when the house has to be closely shaded do not produce such broad, healthy, stiff leaves as we would like ; they are instead attenuated and weakly, and do not stand out so stiiHy from the bulbs as they should do. J. Douglas. PLANT HOUSES. Geeenhouse.— Potting Cape and New Hol- land HARD WOODED PLANTS.— After the flower- ing period and as growth is being made is a very good time for seeing to this work. It is best to see to it at once in the case of all plants which were flowering during the latter part of April, in May and June. The earlier blooming kinds should be looked to first in those cases where it is not possible to complete the potting without intervals, other work being pressing at this season of the year. For nearly all this class of plants peat is the staple product to use, and this should at the same time be of the best possible quality. It is more essential to pay close attention to the quality in the case of these plants than it is in nearly every other case. This is evident when one considers the fact that the plants will remain for some few years in the same soil, reducing the balls and repotting not being a safe course to pursue in very many instances. If more care were taken in selecting suitable soil and then afterwards in taking all possible pains with the potting, we should not see so many failures amongst this fine class of plants. The peat should be of a harder and firmer texture than such as is best suited to Ferns, &c., and is usually of a darker colour also. Such peat is not so spongy, does not hold the water so long, and consequently lasts longer in good condition. If I could not procure just what I wanted and there was a tendency for it to handle somewhat softly, I would prefer to add a small amount of light fibrous loam, making more use at the same time of crocks broken up finely and charcoal about the size of nuts. The peat itself in all instances should be passed through the hand rather than chopping it up in preparation for pot- ting. In this way any sour inert matter, which is sometimes found upon the under side of even the best peat suited for this description of plants, can be effectually removed, also the coarser of the roots. It should not be broken up too finely, but be left of that size most convenient to the potting ; this can best be decided upon when the shift is considered. In all average cases an inch shift all round, that is a fresh pot with 2 inches greater diameter, may betaken as a good and safe selection. When re- potting is being done the new soil should be worked down as firmly as possible with potting sticks, adding only a little at a time. The potting of choice plants of this character is a work of patience and takes no little time to do it well. Good drain- age is essential, so also is a perfectly clean pot. All new pots should be thoroughly soaked for a few hours before use, A good layer of the coarser por- tions which have been laid aside should be used next the crooks. In providing for the proper depth in the fresh pot for the ball of the plant, do not allow for any depth of fresh top soil. Top dressing or loose soil upon the surface is to be avoided ; a light shaking over with some of the finer portions is all that is needed. No fresh soil should be allowed beyond this upon the sur- face, particularly around the stem, which will in all probability be slightly elevated ; if this is so, it does not at all matter— in fact, I rather prefer_ it should be so than otherwise. The stem and its surroundings will thus be kept slightly drier, which is decidedly better than the reverse. In finishing ofl with the potting, the soil towards the sides should be kept the highest ; this will have a ten- dency to cause the water to penetrate in larger quantities into the old ball of soil rather than into the fresh. With the soil a liberal amount of sand should be used, more in proportion than with most other plants ; some may, in the case of large plants, be added as the work of potting proceeds. The plants themselves at the time of potting re- quire close examination as to the state of the roots for moisture. On no account pot a plant afresh that has a tendency to be on the dry side ; the ball should rather be well soaked with water first. In some instances when the ball is very solid and full of roots, it is a safer plan to stand the plant in a tub of water, so as to thoroughly ensure its condi- tion prior to potting. The fresh soil will also waiit looking to in respect to its condition before use ; it should not be at all on the dry side, that is, dust- dry ; this will probably happen if the peat has been stacked out of doors and then taken indiscriminately. It is best to remove the outer sods and use that which is sufficiently moist. After potting, the watering will have to be done with considerable caution. For my own part I prefer not to water for a few days ; the usual practice of watering di- rectly, as in the case of some plants, should not be followed. Note of each instance in the case of specimen plants should be taken, and the watering regulated accordingly. Plants now in bloom should not be repotted for a few weeks, whilst those which flower in August and September, as the autumnal Heaths, I prefer to pot in the spring-time, as these plants make more growth then, proportinnately speaking, than do those which flower earlier. Ericas, Acrophyllum venosum, the Aphelexis, Boro- nias, Correas, Hedaromas, Dracophyllum gracile, the Epacrises, Leschenaultias, and Tetrathecas all do well in peat and sand alone when the first is all that is desired. Acacias. Chorozemas, Croweas, Pimeleas, Polygalas, and Khynchospermum jasmin- oides may with advantage have a small amount of fibrous loam added ; the last named will in fact grow well in nearly all loam. The plants for a time should be watered with a rose upon the can, or at least a piece of slate should be laid upon the soU, Heavy downpours of rain, if continuous, will have to be guarded against by removal indoors where the plants have been standing out, Epiphyllums,— Where any of these most useful members of the Cactus family are in need of fresh potting now is a very good time for looking to the 58 THE GARDEN. [July 18, 1891. work. These, like other members of the family, are not at all impatient in respect to this atten- tion, but it is possible to impose upon their patience too far, and consequently the plants present some- what of a starved appearance. A very slight shift, or by reducing the ball to some little extent, so that only a trifling amount of fresh soil can be added, is all that is needed. When even not fresh potted, a deal of assistance can be given by top- dressing with good soil. In either case the atten- tion will be found well worth the labour e.xpended if the plants have stood over for a few seasons. A fibrous turfy loam will suit them very well, with about one-third of peat added to it. Some charcoal in small pieces and broken crocks are both suit- able additions, and a liberal amount of sand should be used. If the plants are being grown as standards upon the Pereskia stock, careful attention must be given to the supports ; these will want renewal as soon as there is any tendency to decay, otherwise what is a fine specimen may be broken down or partially injured. For my own part, I much prefer the Cactus speciosissimus as a stock ; this will soon be found self-supporting, and in every way better I consider than the former. The stock of Epi- phyllums should now be well exposed to light and air, not being in any way over-watered ; this will have a ripening tendency, with better prospects of a profusion of flower in their season. If any are infested with mealy bug every effort should be made to e.xterminate it. For these plants hot water as hot as the hands can be borne upon the syringe with comfort will go a great way towards effecting this riddance. If repeated after an interval or two not many will be found, and for these an insecti- cide can be employed, the properties of which are fully known to the user. J. Hudson. FRUIT HOUSES. Earliest Peaches— The trees being cleared of fruit, the time has arrived for doing much of the pruning annually needed, in preference to deferring it till after the foliage has fallen. Especially is this early pruning necessary in the case of trees much crowded with shoots. There should be no shortening back of the young growths, or this may have the elfect of forcing out late shoots on all trees not thoroughly disposed to cease top growth. All that it is advisable now to do is to cut away the greater portion of the old fruiting wood, this giving good room for the reserved young shoots, or those intended for fruiting next season, and wliich will plump up their buds and ripen the wood all the better accordingly. If the foliage is clean, little or no red spider being discernible, all that is further needed is to give abundance of air, a little fire-heat in dull weather not being wasted on the most sappy trees, and to keep the borders in a moist state. This season would seem to be very favour- able to the spread of red spider, and trees overrun by it must either be heavily and frequently syringed or have their leaves well coated with flowers of sul- phur, two or three applications of this mixed with the syringing water being needed, after which they may \ie left to take their chance, as far as the foliage is concerned. If the red spider is not checked, the leaves will fall off prematurely and faulty flower-buds result. Frequently syringing the trees and damping down and trampling on the borders during the forcing period are apt to cause the surface to bind badly, cracking being the in- evitable consequence of ceasing these operations. This must be prevented, the simplest plan being to lightly fork up the surface, and then lightly mulch with leaf-soil or old hotbed manure, a good soaking of water or liquid manure being given occasion- ally. SuCCiaslONAI, AND LATK PEACHES.— Where the fruit on either Pe.ach or Nectarine trees is apjiroach- ing ripeness, cease syringing and ventilate more freely. The borders ought also to be examined, a good soaking of water tieing given before they be- come dry. If delayed till water is wanted badly or the fruit is nearly ripe, the chances are much of it will be forced off the trees prematurely. Where possible, the fruit ought to be well laid up to the light and sunshine, a rich full colour adding greatly to its value, and the removal of a few leaves and secondary shoots should, there- fore, be early carried out. Abundance of air during the daytime greatly improves the flavour of the fruit, and if necessary to close the houses somewhat early in order to hasten ripening and, it may be, increase the size of the fruit, the house being damped and the trees of the latest kinds syringed, it is yet a good plan to put on a little top air every evening. The fruit on the trees in the later or latest houses will now be stoning fast, and if there appear to be more on the trees than they can swell to a full size, a final thinning should be given. When the trees are over-cropped much of the fruit will be small and poor in quality, not a few dropping off prematurely. All this can be prevented by timely and judicious thinning. If extra fine fruit are required, they ought to be thinned to about one fruit to every square foot of tree's surface, but if the trees are full of vigour and the owners are satisfied with medium or average sized fruit, then leave them more thickly, or, say, one to every G inches square. It does extra vigorous trees good to crop them rather heavily, but old and comparatively weakly trees must be less hard worked, or the crop may be of little value and much harm done to the tree Every cultivator ought, therefore, to use good discretion in the matter. If it is desirable that the crops ripen in advance of most of the fruit on out-door trees, the house or houses ought to be closed about 3 p.m. and freely syringed, this being the means of keeping up a genial tempe- rature for several hours. This forwarding the trees also favours the ripening of the wood, a very desirable occurrence, and which is not always ac- complished in unheated houses. In some cases it is of importance that late supplies of fruit be forth- coming, and in this case early closing is still ad- visable, air being again given in moderate quanti- ties in the evening and left on all night, abundance being admitted every morning. Orchard hou.ses. — Trees of different kinds in pots now require abundance of water and liquid manure, twice daily being none too much for most of them on hot, clear days. Trees of such early I'eaches as Early Beatrice, Early Alexander, Water- loo, and Hale's Early will, if located in the sun- niest part of the house, be soon giving ripe fruit, and these should have nothing but clear water. In order to colour all the fruit as much as possible, turn the pots half round every other day, all then having a share in the sunniest side. Later trees will be benefited by another top-dressing of rich loamy compost, this being kept in position by strips of zinc 4 inches in depth. All other fruit trees may be similarly treated, taking care, however, to still keep the old balls of soil and roots well supplied with water, as the latter might be injuri- ously dry, and yet the top-dressing be moist enough. It is not yet too late to thin out the crops of Pears, Phims, and Apples, as it is not heavy crops of small fruit that are the most desirable, but rather a moderate number of extra fine fruit, superior in every way to any grown in the open. These kinds of trees ought to be turned round frequently, and the fruit kept bare of foliage as much as possible in order to effect perfect colouring. Continue to thin out superfluous growth and to stop all shoots not required for improving the formation and increas- ing the size of the trees. The floors and beds should be damped down frequently, those trees not bearing ripe fruit being freely syringed every morn- ing, and again when the house is closed early in the afternoon. Cherries are among the first to give fruit In an orchard house, and the trees when cleared may well be turned out to a sunny pcsition where they must be kept well supplied with water, the pots also being covered with litter. Their removal should be followed by a re-arrangement of the other trees, all receiving more space than heretofore, or if this is undesirable, there being no crowding, the places previously occupied by the trees in pots may, as fast as the latter are turnee effectual it applied suffi- ciently strong. It will, I know, destroy the Kucharis mite, and I should scarcely think the weevil grub is more tenacious of life than this -J. C. B. SHORT NOTES. -STOVE AND GREENHOUSE. Double yellow Begonia Miss Faulkner. — Tlii.i is a tulioroiLs-iiioted kiiul, alidwii liy -Mr. C'luiiipll, of SwMiiley, nt the Chiswiuk e!\liil)ition last week. The Howors are largo, very double, and uf a bright shade of goliIiMi yellow. — (I. Pine spotted Gloxinias. — Jlr. Laing, at Kori'st Hill, h;is now in Howor sonic phuits of a fine spiitti'ii form of llloxinia. 1 tliiiik 1 hiive seen the hloimi.'* as well .spotted before, but 1 have never seen the llowers with such a texture. They re(|uire .to be of stout and good substanoo, or the lobes of the limb Jilt is, 1891.] THE GARDEN. 61 do not stand even and flat, and thus detract from their beauty. I hope this bold fine sort will be carefully nursed at Forest Hill.— W. H. G. BEGONIAS AT FOREST HILL. The present ilripping weather just suits these plants, of which the Messrs. Laing have about 300,000 now in the ground, all seedlings of this year. The Beganias indoors present a remarkable feature in the establishment, being more numerous than upon any other occasion, whilst the bright colours are perfectly enchanting, running from the purest \v'hite to yellow, rcse, apricot, scarlet, orange-scarlet, and crimson-maroon. A great feature in Messrs. Laing's establishment, too, this season is growing the Begonias in smaller pots than has ever been done before. This may ne- cessitate more feeding, and certainly more atten- tion to watering, but it is attended with a marked success, even little plants in 3inch pots having flowers 6 inches across. Size of bloom, however, does not appear to be the aim at Forest Hill now; once it was a desideratum, but now anything more added in that way would be only coarseness. The aim now is to produce new colours, of which there is evidence already in some of this year's seedlings, and in producing short flower stems, which support the flowers in an upright position. Formerly these plants produced flowers upon long peduncles, so that they appeared pendu- lous, and thus the greater part of their beauty was lost. Now, through careful attention to selection and breeding, the peduncles are mostly short and stiff, and hold the flower up in an erect position. This is particularly evident in the double flowers of this season. The display, too, is so large and so varied that no words can depict their beauties ; they must be seen to be appreciated. These kinds, too, will supersede those used so much in French gardens, as they make a finer display ; being upon shorter footstalks, the flowers stand up and show all their beauties, instead of drooping like the boliviensis section, which our neighbours favour so much. Some kinds in the establishment at Forest Hill are admirable as basket plants, although not belonging to the pen- dula class, but they are simply made pendulous by the weight of the large flowers and their num- bers. I give a few of the names and colours of those flowers which pleased me best and seemed to me the most distinct, and these I strongly re- commend to the attention of my readers. Avalanche. — A fine white variety, very free and handsome. Blushing Bride. — Soft blush. Charmer. — Exquisite form, carmine-crimson, white centre. Darkest Africa. — Deep crimson-maroon. Duchess of Edinhunih. — Rich orange-yellow, Duke nf Edinburgh. — Deep crimson - maroon, tinged with chestnut. Her Majesty.^A fine shaped flower, blush, with rosy-pink centre. J. \V. Wilkinson. — Very bright scarlet. Lady Iddesleigh. — Fawn, shaded with pinkish orange. Lady Whifeliead. — Bright rosy-pink, with lighter centre ; a large and handsome flower, very free- flowering. Leviathan. — A handsome flower of a bright rose colour. Miss E. F. Cooper. — A fine blush. Mrs. Laing. — Pure white ; an exriuisite flower. Mrs. Josei^li Cliamherlain. — A magnificent flower, white and T03e colour. Mrs. ir. O. Head. — Fine salmon-scarlet. Murillo. — Very rich crimson. Golden Queen. — A rich gol Jen-yellow. Prince Albert Victor. — Vivid scarlet, suffused with orange. Princess Louise. — Pure white and very handsome. Princess nf Wales. — Deep rosy-pink, large and good Sfansfead Surprise. — Deep crimson. Torey Laing. — Fine flower, yellow, tinged with orange-red. These and many others I could name did space permit. Of double kinds I mast recount a few, and among the best are — Alba rosea. — A fine specimen with *>ilO flowers. shotting its free habit ; of a bright rosy-pink, with white centre. Duchess of Portland. — Vivid scarlet, with white centre. Duchess of Teck. — A splendid rich golden-yellow flower, 1 irge, very double, and of good habit. Camellia. — Rosy-crirason. Claribel. — Salmon-pink, white centre. Henshaic Rus.iell. — Large, vivid scarlet. Lady Julian Goldsnud.—mch dark rose, large and erect. Lady Stafford Korthcofe.—Ilelicaie salmon, white centre, very free. Lillie. — Rosy salmon, white centre, a very fine shaped flower. Marquis of SVojionL— Carmine-crimson, very free, an exiiuisite variety. Mrs. Henry Blake. — A fine fringed flower, violet- crimson. Octarie. — A dwarf, very free form, with finely formed pure white flowers. Prince of Wales, — A fine free flowering variety with glowing crimson flowers. Rose Laing. — Deep rose, very free. Sir William Wallace. — Veiy large blooms of a lovely shade of pale salmon. Rosy Morn. — Bright I'osy pink. Source d'Or. — Rich bright gjlden yellow. Toison d'Or. — Very rich golden yellow, very full. Viscountess Cranbrook. — Bright rosy salmon, with flaked white centre. Besides these, Mr. Laing has a set of plants suitable for basket work, and very beautiful they look when suspended. In singles, there are several of the pendula section which have large flowers of a deep rose colour, and there are other colours, such as scarlet, white, and yellow, with many in- termediate shades. Amongst the double-flowered kinds may be named Alice Manning, very free, pure yellow, and Glow, which is of a bright orange- scarlet. From amongst the 300,000 seedling plants this season there will be many that have a special habit for outdoor planting, and these are all care- fully selected, propagated, and the colours kept distinct, so that pot kinds for indoor and outdoor work can be had in abundance and true to name or colour. W. Hugh Goweb. Trees and Shrubs. flowj':pjng shrubs at clevedon. The beauty of our spring and early summer gardens depends very mucli on flowering shrubs. They make such a great show with their brilliant colouring, and are so massive and tall, that they can be .seen at a distance, and often give life and character to a town. It has been my good fortune lately to stiy for a while at Clevedon, in Somer.setshire. It is a blight and pretty watering-place, and the inhabitant.s are justly proud of their gar- dens, but especially of their flowering .shrubs. " You are come just at the right time," they said. It was the middle of June, and the shrubs had not yet lost their showy flowers, though their beauty was on the wane. First and chiefly at that time the great trees of reil Thorn were to be admired ; they were most striking. This year tliey seemed to be more than usually brilliant with a perfect mass of bloom. There are many varieties; on the whole, the double scarlet seemed to be the most effective. The tide of popular opinion has set in against double flowers, and it is well that it should be so. Perhaps we are too much guided by fasluon in such matters, and scarcely form an independent judgment on the real beauty of a flower. Fashion de- stroyed our old flower borders and made tis throw away be:uitiful jierennials and many interesting plants on the rubbish-heaii. Now we are bringing them back, and find that we have to pay for our folly and for being in the fashion. Well, to-day the rush is all for single flowers, single Dahlias, and even single Pinks, Eoses, and Chrj'santhemuins. It seems to show the advance of a more critical and refined taste. But we must remember double flowers will always beat the single in one thing, and that is in their capability of last- ing longer. The greater durability of the double flower over the single is a constant quality, because in single flowers as socm as the pollen has fallen on the pistil, the fruit nr seed begins to form, and the work of the flower being accomplished, it falls away and dies. For this reason douljle Geraniums, for instance, though not so beautiful as single ones, are invaluable because they will last so long after they are cut. Church vases very probably are only fllled once a week, and if so, it i.s important that they should look well and last till the following Saturday. Douljle Geraniums will do this. In the same way the double Thorn certainly makes more show on a tree than the single, although a sprig of the brightly coloured single scarlet looks prettier close to the eye when gathered ; moreover, the double Thorn will outlast in beauty the single, and that is a great point. I have only seen double Lilac at the late show in the 'Temple Gardens, and therefore I have no experience of it as a flowering shrub. But it struck mo from the gathered blooms exhibited in London that it will prove a de- cided advantage when it becomes common in our gardens and shruliberies. The scent of Lilac is delicious, but it has the bad habit of dropping its petals rapidly after being gathered. Most probably the new double Lilac; will not have this fault, but will be niucli more persistent. If so, the large boughs of this beautiful shrub, which we are wont to place in the big vases that are gene- rally to be seen in drawing-rooms at the pre- sent day, will be more acceptable than ever. The common Laburnum forms a beautiful companion for the Lilac, as they generally flower more pr less together, and the colours look well beside each other. The drooping haliit of the Laburnum contrasts prettily also with the erect growing Lilac. These very old-fasliioned and hardy denizens of our gardens are really unexcelled by any- thing of more recent introduction. When, as at Clevedon, there are a large number of detached residences with good gardens situ- ated in streets ami rows, the effect of large scarlet Thorns, Laburnum, and Lilac cannot be surpassed. Theadornmentof the garden by such flower- ing -shrubs is not merely for the selfish delight of the owner of the house, but it contributes to the gaiety of the town, and brightens tin; lives of rich and poor who live in it. This thought should add very much to the pleasure of having a gay and pretty garden in our seaside towns. Guelder Roses have, like other flowering shrubs, been more than usually loaded with their fiiu! rt in winter, D. tri- petaloides, in fact, having been proved by Mr. O'Brien to withstand several degrees without in- jury. A cool frame, which could be kept about 40" Fahr. during the coldest winter weather, and moist and shaded in summer, would suit these two species as well as D. grandiflora, and a prettier or more interesting trio of Orchids that could be so cheaply grown it would be difficult to find. Public Gardens. Kirkstall Abbey.— ( )ne of the finest examples of Cistercian ruins in the country — Kirkstall Abbey — is beiuff put iu a state of repair at the bands of the Leeds ci-)rporation. The abbey was recently presputed to the corporation at a cost of ,€10,0IJU by Colouel North. It is now thrown open free to the public. St.PancrasGardena extension.— On Wednes- day the extension of St. Pancras Gardens was opened to the public. The new plea^auuce is on the site formerly known as Adam and Eve Terrace. The whole of the improvements, which have cost £'J0,OI)U, have been de- frayed as compenaatioa by the Midland Railway Company. Brighton improvements — Steps are about to be taken to lay out the Queen's Park, recently pre- sented to Brighton by the Race Trustees. The Re- creation Grounds Committee a few days a^o paid an official visit to the park. The scheme decided upon includes a,n ornamental lake, a drive, and circuitous walks. When finished the park will be one of the most attractive features in the tuwn. Plans arc also being prepared for tidal baths at the east end of Brighton. Presentation of a public park —A public park, upwards of thirty acres in extent, was pre- sented to the inhabitants of Consett and Blackhill, county Durham, on Saturday last by the Consett Iron Company, in whose various works about 20,000 men are employed. The land was formerly little better than a waste. Eighteen months ago the work of reclamation was commenced by Messrs. Robson and Son, nurserymen, Hexham, and the ground is now intersected by walks adorned with borders in elegant designs, and planted with trees and shrubs suited to its high altitude and exposed situation. The opening ceremony was performed by Mrs. Dale, wife of Mr. David Dale, chairman of the company. Open spaces in the metropolis.— At the monthly meeting of the Metropolitan Public Gardens Association, held at 8:i, Lancaster Gate, W , Sir William A'incent, Bart., vice-chairman, presid- ing, it was agreed to grant on certain conditions £50 and seats for the laying out of Sidney Square, E., to offer two seats for Norwood Road, S E., six for the I'xbridge Road, W , and four for St. Sepul- chre's Churchyard, E C, to enter into communica- tion with their respective authorities regarding the open space by the Law Courts, the Natural History Museum grounds, the site of the Farringdon Market, St. Ann's Churchyard, Soho, the disused place in Drury Lane, and the enclosures in Regent's Park. OBITUARY. Frank Miles. — This well-known artist died on the loth of July, and was buried yesterday at Almonds- bury, near Bristol. He was one of the best gardeners we ever knew, taking a deep interest in all the tiner hardy flowers and growing them admirably. The most beautiful mixed border we have ever seen was that he made in his father's garden at Bingham. A mental affiictiona couple of years ago uidiappily took him away from his work, and ever since he has been under the tender care of his fiieiuls. Cardinal Archbishop Haynald died July I at Kalocfa, Hungary. The deceased wa-i an eminent botanist ; especially was it due to his efTorta that tlie flora of the eastern parts of Hungary and the Balkan was explored. His botanical library, containing 3tl00 works, and the Herbarium UaynalJianum are well known. He is the author of a work, "Plants of the Bible." — L. Kropatscii, hnj^erial Park, the Prater, 66 THE GARDEN. [July 18, 1891. Woods an£ forests. THINNING PLANTATIONS. We do not need to theorise much on this sub- ject ; we liave but to look at the trees in any plantation or park to learn the needful les.son. Trees that have room and light on all sides make slioit thick trunks and a large head of branches, which, taken together in the bulk, will amount to a greater weight of timber than that of a tree grown up in a circumscribed .space among other trees, but it does not follow that the first will make the most useful timber. On an estate where the wood has been subjected to different degrees of thinning at different times, it is most instructive to contrast the shapes and sizes of the different trees. All species are governed by the same laws, that is to say, those that have the least room laterally, within cer- tain limits, invariably produce the tallest and straightest trunks, and rice cersri. It seems to be just a question with the woodman of the dimensions wanted, but I notice that Beeches, Oaks, Elms, Larches, and Chestnuts grow fast and produce thick trunks as straight as an arrow when growing not many yards apart — perhaps from 3 yards to 0 yards. But much less space than this suffices to produce a good trunk, provided the top, even if small, has light and air. In the centre of a patch of wood which I thinned out lately, a Beech was left with a fine trunk which measured 3 feet in diameter G feet from the ground, tapering gently to a height of 70 feet or more. Within a distance of C feet of this Beech grew a Plane of the same age with a trunk about 20 inches in diameter and of the same height, and be- tween these two, in the same line, or 3 feet from each, had grown up a Larch about 80 feet high and 18 inches in diameter at the base. For nearly twenty years that Larch never had more than a few feet of living top clear above tlie tops of the Beech and Plane as it grew np through them, and it had all its life struggled on in the same way, having been planted at the same time as the others. Yet in this limited space it had attained to the size of a goodly tree, and the presumption is that had its neigh- bours been of its own kind, three good Larches could have been taken off' the same area, or a tree to about each square yard, thus bearing out the description given of the natural forests in the backwoods, which are said to stand as thickly as seedlings in a hotlied. In the same wood is a Larch 2i feet in diameter 2 feet from the ground, about the same height as the other, and enveloped in the branches of three Beeches just in the same manner, the lower brandies having perished where covered by those of the Beeches, only the top, consisting of a few branches, being alive. It would appear, therefore, that a rather small proportion of green top is suflicient to produce a trunk of use- ful dimensions. In ccnnection with this I may mention that I was once struck by the quantity of trees to tlie ground in a portion of the forest of Fontainelileau, consisting of Oaks chiefly, all fine and straight, the majority apjiearing to be in threes close together, or growing fiom the same stool. I never remember to have seen Oaks of the same age so dense on the ground nor so uniform in si/.o, whether as regards height or girth. Y. Selecting' Oak timber.— In the selection of Oak a great deal depends on a knowledge of the soil on which it grew. It is generally found that when Oak is grown on a peculiarly rich soil it is deficient in strength in consequence of rapid growth, and therefore has coarser libre. In addition to the character of the soil, we have to look at the effects which the atmosphere produces upon it in the situation in which it is grown, as it has been found that even on a few acres the quality would vary greatly according to the position of tlie trees. Timber cut down in winter should always, when possible, be chosen in preference to that cut in the spring, as it will require less seasoning. Great at- tention should always be paid to the centres of the trees, as it is there that decay generally shows itself.— D. Common Broom, is sometimes raised from seed for the purpose of forming game-cover, but it is generally found growing naturally. It is one of the best plants for maintaining game-cover ; for, al- though it may be partly destroyed by game in the winter season, it soon regains its former healthy appearance. It thrives best in light gravelly soils and exposed situations. To maintain good cover it should be pegged to the ground or cut down every fourth or fifth year. Charcoal burning. — I am anxious for a little information as to the mode of making charcoal. I require only a small quantity as a sunply during the winter. Any advice upon the subject will be welcome. — A. D. *jf* The readiest way of making charcoal is to cut up the wood into lengths of about 2 feet G inches or so, and if large split it into quarters and lay it somewhere to dry, after which it will be in a fit condition for burning. In stacking it preparatory to this, a stake should be driven into the ground, around which a heap of shavings and small sticks should be piled, and against this the wood for the charcoal should be placed close on end in a regular circle, allowing just sufficient room between each piece for the fire to travel freely. The stack may consist of one layer or two, according to the quantity to be burned, but it is better to build it in the latter way than to have the circumference large, as it is not only easier for covering up, but can then be charred with greater regularity. As soon as the stack is formed, it should be covered in with a good thick- ness of straw, except just 2 feet or so of the middle left open to light it and set the fire going. The straw on, the next thing is to cover it with from 9 inches to 1 foot thick with soil or sand ; when all is ready, apply the match and set the fire blaz- ing. When once the fire gets a fair hold of the wood, the middle must be covered in, and holes pierced with a stake through the soil to let out the smoke ard draw the fire to the sides till it gets hold of the mass, when smaller holes should be made and the others stopped, the object being to prevent any flame or a too rapid combustion. It often happens that the wind will drive all the fire to one side, to obviate which the holes there should be closed, and encouragement given by opening otliers in the opposite direction to draw it there, that the charring may be regular throughout. To prevent waste by over-burning, much watchfulness is necessary, as it the fire gets too free vent any- where, the wood is soon consumed, instead of being simply blackened through without losing much of its bulk. When the charring is com- plete, the fire may easily be smothered out by patting the soil close with the back of a shovel, so as to prevent all escape of smoke, when, after a day or two, the heap may be uncovered and the charcoal withdrawn. — S, How to recognise good wood There are certain appearances characteristic of good wood to whatever cla.ss it belongs. In the same species of wood, that will in general be the strongest and most durable which has grown the slowest,, us shown by the narrowness of the annular rings. The cellular tissue, as seen in the medullary rajs (when visible), should be hard and compact. The vascular or fibrous tissue should adhere firmly together, and should show no wooliness at a freshly-cut surface ; nor should it clog the teeth of the saw with loose fibres. If the wood is coloured, darkness of colour is in general a sign of strength and durability. The freshly-cut surface should be firm and shin- ing, and should have somewhat of a translucent appearance. In a wood of a given species the heavy specimens are generally the stronger and the more lasting. Among resinous woods, those having the least resin in their pores, and amongst non-resinous woods those having the least sap or gum in them, are generally the best. Timber should be free from such blemishes as " clefts " or cracks radiating from the centre ; " cup-shakes," or cracks, which partially sepirale one layer from another; "upsets" where the fibres have been crippled by compression ; " windgalls," or wounds, in a layer of wood which have been covered and concealed by the growth of subsequent layers over them ; hollow spongy places in the centre, indicat- ing the commencement of decay.— J. Beech leaves injured— Will you be good enough to say what the insect is that is causing the Beech to appear as if the autumn had come ? The larva of the insect is a leaf-miner, spending its larval existence between the upper and under cuticle of the leaf. I tried to secure it by placing some of the attacked leaves under a glass, but I was too late ; the insect had flown away. I send some leaves, which give, I think you will see, un- doubted evidence of the cause of withering, which commences soon after the leaves expand and con- tiijues until the aspect of the tree is changed. I hope the leaves will enable you to recognise the depredator. — R. L. Allman, )\'oodlands, Baiuloti. *,* In reply to the above, the withered parts of the Beech leaves do not appear to me to have been attacked by insects ; the perforations in the leaves are no doubt the work of one of the weevils. When the buds were just opening, were they not exposed to some high wind or hailstorm which bruised them ? or perhaps the sun shining on them when they were wet burnt them, as it does plants under glass at times. The injury does not appear to be very recent. — G. S. S. Ornamental planting.— The primary object in forming shrubberies would seem to be that of obtaining privacy, shelter, and intricacy in design, and that is as easily obtainable with our common native shrubs and trees as with exotic ones. But exotic plants being obtained, it became requisite to find a situation, suitable or otherwise, for them in the park or garden. What place so handy, tliere- fore, as the possibly existing border of native shrubs ? and eventually, owing to numerous new importations, the older forms were driven out to make room for those that were handsomer in leaf and bloom or habit. This has led, in the majority of old gardens, to mixed borders becoming desti- tute of order or system. The plants stand, as a rule, much too thickly together for their natural development, and the consequence is that the opera- tion of mutilating with knife and axe is of constant occurrence to prevent the whole from becoming a jungle. It would certainly be an improvement in large gardens if, instead of planting extensive shrubberies with the more valuable shrubs .and trees, we used the commoner forms for the interior of the masses, or indeed made them up almost entirely of such, and used the finer and more choice plants either in conspicuous places, or else disposed of them in the more natural and pleasing man- ner of groups of various dimensions and single specimens on lawns. More richness and variety would be the rei-ult in our home landscapes by so doing, and we should also do aw.ay almost alto- gether with that worse than useless cutting and pruning, which we find so constantly being recom- mended^—S^ "The Garden" Monthly Parts.— r*" journal is pub- lished in neatly bound MmMly Paris. In this form tht coloured plates are best preserved, and it is most suitahle for rrference previous to the issue of the half-i/earlt/ rolumt). Price \s. M. ; ))o»( free, Is. 9d. Complete set of volumes of Thb Gakdf.n from its commencement to end of ISUO, thirty-eight vols., price, cloth, £2S is. _ "Gardening Illustrated" Monthly Parts. — Win jiHirnul is published in neuthi bound Moiithhi Parts, in trhirh form it is uK'sl suilublefor refereuee jirrviom to the issue of the i/eiirli/ rnlumes. Price .'«(. ; /«'.elgian Purple, Early Transpa- rent Gage, Heron, and Curlew Plums, the two last being recommended by Mr. Rivers as suitable for dry- ing. Some capital fruits of Duchess of Oldenburg Apple were also in this collection (silver - gilt Banksian medal). Messrs. A'eitch and Sons sent some 250 dishes of hardy fruits and examples of Goose- berries, the blanches bearing enormous crops of high-class fruit. These exhibits of bearing branches clearly demonstrate the practical utility of the Gooseberry for growing as cordons ; nothing in its way could possibly be finer than were these examples of over eighty varieties of the best kinds. The dishes of picked fruit of Gooseberries included more kinds The finest fruits were those of Alma. Green Overall. Lancashire Lad, Mount Pleasant, Pretty Boy, Leveller, Rough Red, Garibaldi, Crown Bob, King of Trumps, and Matchless ; the ripest were those of Catherina, Pitmaston Green Gage, Early Sulphur, Highlander, and Prince Arthur. Currants consisted of fine fruits of White Dutch Cut-leaved and White Crystal, La Versaillaise (extra large Red), Red Cherry, Lee's Black Prolific, and Kentish Hero. Amongst the Strawberries were Waterloo, Commander, Duke of Edinburgh, Frogmore Late Pine, and Loxford Hall Seedling. Two of the best Raspberries were Superlative and Northumberland Fillbasket ; Semper Fidelis and Yellow Antwerp were also good. Cherries from pyramids in the open were shown. These consisted of good fruit of Frog- more Early Bigarreau, Governor Wood, Nouvelle Royale, Elton, Belle d'Orleans, Black Eagle, and Mammoth, with bearing branches of Imperatrice Eugenie, a good-looking red kind (silver-gilt Bank- sian medal). Mr. W. H. Diver.". Ketton Hall, Stam- ford, sent some grand examples of Peaches. Sea Eagle was shown of immense size, the heaviest fruit weighing lO', oz., measuring in circumference 12,', inches. Next in size to this were some splendid fruits of Royal George — of their kind possibly even finer than the preceding, and of high colour ; the Nectarine Peach, also large ; Harrington, fine fruits ; Princess of Wales, and Prince of Wales (silver Banksian medal). Messrs. Carter and Co. had an extensive and well-grown collection of Peas, con- sisting of eighty named varieties, both early and late kinds. Prominent amongst these were Pride of the Market, Stratagem, Garter's Elephant, Telegraph, Telephone, Omega (extra), Duke of Albany, tiiant Grey Sugar, Sharpe's Victory, and Queen ; these were the finest of the large-podded kinds. Others were also represented, forming altogether a most interesting and instructive exhibit (silver Banksian medal). Other exhibits consisted of three excellent bunches of Cannon Hall Muscat Grape, well col- loured and the berries even, from Mr. Page, New Southgate ; these were a part crop of 2H bunches from one Vine grown in an inside border. A cultural commendation was deservedly awarded. The same exhibitor showed some capital fruits of Lord Napier Nectarine from a tree in a pot, receiving the same award. Mr. Crasp sent from Wimboine a Fig named Ursnle d'Avignon, which although good was not considered sufficiently distinct from exist- ing kinds. Melons were shown, but most of these were deficient in flavour. A branch of Early .Julien Apple was sent by Dr. Hogg, heavily laden with fruits with a decided tinge of colour in them. From the Chiswick Gardens came seventeen sorts of Currants, the best being Red Grape. Chiswick Red, Houghton Castle, Wilmot's Edrly White, Red Champagne (pale red). Red Cherry (extra large), Wallace Seedling (deep red). Eight kinds of Peas came from Mr. Cook, Compton Bassett, Wilts, the best being Duke of Albany, Sutton's JIatchless, Sharpe's Queen and Triumph. Some excellent Peaches were sent from Dowager Lady Freake's garden, Twickenham, Dr. Hogg and Grosse Mig- nonne being the best. Tomatoes of good colour were shown by Mr. Crook, Forde Abbey Gardens, Somerset, one cluster weighing over four pounds ; the sorts were not, however, any adv.ince upon other well-known kinds. Some Apples which had been packed in charcoal, and had been forty-two days in transit, were sent through the secretary of the Wel- lington Horticultural Society. They were all more or less decayed and quite worthless. At the close of the ordinary duties of the fruit committee, Mr. Rivers stated he had a resolution to propose bearing on the subject of fruit culture, which was now commanding attention. He said the Minister of Agriculture, in speaking at the Guildhall last week, did not appear to know the Royal Horticultural Society had a special com- mittee of the most competent men, and he thought the society ought to take a more prominent po.-i- tion, and lead the way instead of being left be- hind, as an authority on the subject of fruit, espe- cially as they possessed such a great collection of trees and varieties in their gardens. Mr. Rivers concluded his remarks by proposing the following resolution : — That it is desirable that the Rjjal Horticultural Society, actiug through its fruit cummittee, should endeavour to guide farmers and others, who are in- tending to plant, in the choice of the best and most profitable sorts of fruits, and that a leartet should be prepared by the committee with the neeessary infor- mation, and that such leaflets be distributed by the Royal Horticultural Society in the widest possible manner. Mr. J. Wright, in seconding the resolution, sad he had sometimes thought the council were wait- ing for some expression of the views of their fruit committee on this question. It was most desir- able and appropriate that the society should, as they could, give good advice to all who need it on the subject of useful fruit production, and he was sure the council would give the best consideration to the resolution. Mr. Banyard and Mr. Crowley gave their strong approval to the object in view, and the resolution was passed unanimously. Eakly Peaches. Mr. Francis Rivers, in his lecture on the above, said that the Royal Horticultural Society some 40 years ago catalogued over forty varieties of early Peaches. At this date there were over UOH Peaches and Nectarines in the different lists, many of these having been raised in .Vmerica, and, as one might expect, many of them were useless and of no value. This was especially the case with Peaches, as they were increased in great numbers. Peaches being raised as readily as our common fruits. There were fewer Nectarines, as they were more difficult to raise. Umloubtedly, great improvement of late years hast.aken place in ttie introducticm of early Peaches and Nectarines, as more attention has been paid to .^ize, colour, and Uavour. Some few years ago it was impossible to obtain these fruits early in July, but now it is an easy matter to get early Peaches at that ilate; for instance, Eiirly Beatrice can be had fit for the table in the first week in July in a cold house, followed by Amsden June, Waterloo, Early York, and others. Alexander does well under all conditions, forcing well, and last year without hard forcing it had been gathered in quantity on J une 0. These early July 25, 1891.] THE GARDEN. 89 Peaches had also been gathered in favourable sea- sons from open walls from July 20 to 2(i, so that gave a long season of fruit. They also do in this country better than in America, as Early Beatrice here never fails to crop. In America they usually bear a heavy crop every other year. Another drawback is that many of them mildew badly. Eirly York has one serious failt : it cracks badly at the stone. This may be owing a great deal to soil and climatic influences. In August there are a great many kinds, and some of the best, such as Early Silver, Eirly Louise, A Bee, Crimson Galande (a valuable Peach), Grosse Mignonne. and others ; indeed, there is a great wealth of Peaches after July, and many of excellent flavour. On walls Condor is a line Peach, and one that invariably does well. Among Nectarines the best for general purposes is certainly Lord Napier ; it is a good forcer, good for cool house, and one of the best in the open, a sure cropper, of good flavour, and large Mr. Banyard, in speaking as to his knowledge of the new kinds named, said that in Kent many of them did not ripen their wood well, the trees also blistered badly, and the one Mr. Rivers condemned, Amsden June, did best there. Waterloo and Hale's Early did well in the open, and he considered there was still an opening for good outdoor Peaches to come in early in August. Early York and Alfred he considered too much alike ; he also liked Lord Napier Nectarine best, and it was excellent in all ways and ripened well, which many of the new early Nectarines did not in the open. At the Chiswick Conference in July, a sub- committee selected from the floral committee examined the collection of border Pinks growing in the garden, and awarded tliree marks to each of the following varieties: Her Majesty (Hooper), Beauty of Bath (Hooper), Modesty (Turner), Hettie Dean (Dean), Charmer (Dean), Mrs. D.irk (Dean) The fruit and vegetable committee examined the collection of Peas growing in the garden, and awarded three marks to the following sorts : Ameer (Harrison and Sons), Early Green Marrow, Sutton's Empress of India (Sutton and Sons), Early Green Wrinkled. This committee met again on the 14th inst., when three marks were awarded to the fol- lowing varieties of Peas, as representing the best types in the collection : Duke of Albany (Veitch), tall green Marrow; Telephone (Veitch), tall green Marrow ; Chelsonian (Veitch), tall green Marrow ; Extra Dwarf Daisy (Carter and Co.), green Marrow; Critic (Eckford), tall ; Essential (Eckford), tall ; Epicure (Eckford), tall ; The Echo (Eckford), dwarf ; Alderman (Laxton), tall ; The Marquis (Laxton), tall. Two marli^s were awarded to the following varieties : Sutton's Early Marrowfat (Sut- ton and Sons), dwarf; Optimum (Laxton), tall. A first-class certificate was awarded to Potato Early Short Top, provisionally nimed (Laxton), a remark- ably fine and early variety. Tubers large, fully grown — greatly in advance of any other variety. THE NATIONAL CARNATION SOCIErY. Despite many fears to the contrary, a very credit- able exhibition of Carnations and Piootees took place in the Drill Hall, Westminster, on the 21st inst. The flowers bore traces of the pressure brought to bear upon them in order to liave them in flower on the date of the show, and probably there were but very few of the blooms compet- ing that had not been hastened under glass. It was inevitable it should be so. The Carna- tion bloom is a good fortnight late, and as it was necessary the best display should be made, there was no option but to help forward the develop- ment uf the flowers with all the appliances at the command of the growers. The flowers were in many instances small on account of their youth ; they lacked purity and brilliancy of colour as well as size, though here and there an exceptionally good bloom could be seen. But it was on the whole an exhibition, the extremely late character of the season considered, that reflected credit upon the members of the society. A kind of supple- mentary exhibition will be held at the next meet- ing of the society on August 11, when the Martin- Smith special prizes wiU be competed for. There were only two competitors in the class for twenty-four Carnation blooms in not less than twelve dissimilar varieties, a class that can only be entered into by the growers of the largest collec- tions. Mr. Charles Turner, Royal Nursery, Slough, was first with scarlet bizarres Robert Houlgrave, brilliant in colour ; Dr. Hogg, a new variety of fine character, having shape, smoothness of petal, and fine colour; and Squire Potts. Pink and purple bizarres E. S. Dodwell, James Taylor, and Sarah Payne. Purple flakes Dr. Foster, juno, and Squire Trow. Scarlet flakes Jupiter and Charles Turner. Rose flakes Hutchinson's Rose, Clementine, Saturn, and Teresa. Second, Mr. James Douglas, Great Gearies, Iltord. In the class for twelve Carnations, dissimilar, Mr. J. Douglas was first, with s.b. Master Stanley, c.b Squire Potts, and William Wardill ; p p.b. Sarah Payne and William Skirving; p f . James Douglas and r f . Thalia, Alisemond, and several seedlings. Second, Mr. Charles Phillips, Hamilton Road, Read- ing. Mr. H. W. Headland, The Firs, Leyton, was third, and the Rev. R. L. Flood, Merrow, Guildford, fourth. In the class for six varieties, distinct, Mr. F. Nutt, Rose Road, Southampton, was first. He had 'very fair blooms of c.b. Joseph Lakin, p.p b. Sarah Payne, t.f. James Douglas, s.f. Alisemond, r.f. John Keet, and Crista-galli ; second, Mr. J. J. Keen, Beevor's Mount, Southampton ; third, Mr. T. H. Cattley, 10, Claverton Buildings, Bath; fourth, Mr. George Chaundy, Marston Road, Ox- ford ; fifth, Mr. M. Rowan, Manor Street, Clapham. There were two competitors in the class for twenty- four Picotees in not less than twelve varieties, and here Mr. C. Turner was again placed first with seedling heavy red and light red edges ; light purple edge, Clara Penson ; heavy rose edges, Sla- deline, a very fine new variety with a medium edge of pale rose, Mrs. Sharpe, Mrs. Rudd, and Lucy ; light rose. Favourite and Miss Flowdy. Se- cond, Mr. J. Douglas. The Picotees were decidedly of better quality generally than the Carnations. There were three exhibitors of twelve Picotees. Mr. J. Douglas was placed first with h r.e. Brunette and .John Smith ; Ire. Thomas William ; h.p e. Muriel ; l.p.e. Clara Penson ; violet, M. Douglas and Mrs. Chancellor ; h.r.e. Mrs. Sharp ; l.r.e. B^a- vourite and Miss Flowdy. Second, Mr. C. Phillips. The best six varieties of Picotees came from Mr. Geo. Chaundy, who had h r e. Winifred Esther, h.p.e. Amelia, l.p.e. Juliette and Annot Lyle, h.r.e Mrs. Rudd, l.r.e. seedling, a stand of blooms vary- ing in size, but very pure in the ground ; second, Mr. T. Nutt ; third, Viscountess Chewton, Brook- ham Lodge, Cobham ; fourth, Mr. T. H. Cattley ; fifth, the Rev. L. R. Flood. In the class for yellow Picotees there were two collections of twelve blooms Jin not less than six varieties. Mr. J. Douglas was placed first with a very good lot of flowers, having very promising seedlings ; second, Mr. H. W. Headland, also with seedlings. In the class^for six blooms there was a larger competition, Mr. G. Chauntly being placed first with capital blooms of Dodwell's (iOO, Peter Barr, and promising seedlings; second, Mr. F. Hooper, with Mrs. Little, Alice Brooks, Duchess of Albany (remarkable for the depth of its yellow ground), Mrs. F. Hooper, JIary, and seedlings ; third, Mr. C. Phillips, Reading. Carnations, single blooms. — Sb, first, Mr.' Keen with Squire Poits; second. Mr. J. Douglas with Robert Houlgrave, and third with Master Stanley ; fourth, Mr. J. Lakin with M,-i,rs; and fifth, Mr. G. Chaundy witli Admiral Curzon. C.b., first, Mr. J. Douglas with seedling, and third with Wm. Skirving ; second, Mr. F. Hooper with E. S. Dod- well. and fourth with Harrison Weir ; fifth, Mr. H. W. Headland with J. D. Hextall. P.p.b.. first, Mr. F. Nutt with Sarah Payne ; second, Mr. J. Douglas wit Ii the same; third, Mr. H. W. Head- land with Squire Llewelyn ; fourth, Mr. C. Turner with James Taylor. P.f.. first. Mr. J. Douglas with a fine seedling, both deep and rich in colour ; second, Mr. A. Sanders with James Douglas ; third, I Mr. M. Rowan with the .same ; fourth, Mr. F. Hooper with seedling; fifth, Mr. C. Turner with Squ're Trow. S f., first, Mr. J. Douglas with H. (^'ani e'l, Jan., and third with Alisemond ; second, Mr. J. J. Keen with Matador ; fourth, Mr. H. W. Headland with Henry Cannell ; and fifth, Mr. C. Phillips with Sportsman. R.f., first, Mr. J. Lakin, Temple Cowley, Oxford, with Mrs. J. Gibson (very fine), and third with Lovely Mary ; second, Mr. J. Douglas with Thalia, and fifth with the same. Picotees. — H.r.e., first and second, Mr. J. Lakin, with Isabel Lakin, a new variety in fine character ; third, Mr. J. Douglas, with Brunette, and fourth with seedling ; fifth, Mr. C. Phillips, with Brunette. L.r.e., first and second, Mr. C. Turner, with Clara Penson ; third, Mr. J. Douglas, with Silvia ; fourth, Mr. C. Phillips, with Clara Penson, and fifth with Pride of Leyton. Unfortunately, the classes for h. and 1 p.e. were missed by us. H.r.e., first, Mr. C. Phillips, with Mrs. Ricardo, and third with Mrs. Sharpe ; second, Mr. J. Douglas, with Mrs. Sharpe ; fourth, Mr. W. Nicholls, with Lady Holmesdale ; and fifth, Mr. J. Douglas, with Constance Heron. Y'ellow grounds : first and second, Mr. J. Douglas, with a seedling ; third and fourth, Mr. C. Turner, with Annie Douglas ; fifth, Mr. H. W. Headland, with seedling. The selfs and fancies made, as usual, a fine dis- play, the rich coloured selfs being particularly striking. Mr. C. Turner was first, with twenty- four blooms, not less than twelve varieties, having Almira, Victory, Hutchinson's Rose (self), Mrs. Reynolds Hole, Annie Douglas, Lord Rendlesham, Mrs. Maclaren (deep crimson self), Charles Turner (crimson self). Ruby (a very fine self), Fimbriata alba, Germania, Duchess of Teck, and a red form of R. Houlgrave ; second, Mr. F. Hooper ; third, Mr. J. Douglas, with several promising seedlings ; fourth, Mr. T. H. Cattley. For twelve blooms, Mr. M. Rowan was fir.-t, having Purple Emperor, Comtesse de Paris, Mrs. Reynolds Hole, Vice-Pre>ident, Editb, Rose Celestial, President, Mile. Dutquette, Mrs. Ducroz, and Lady Agnes ; second, Mr. F. Nutt, with good flowers unnamed ; third, Mr. C. Phillips ; fourth, Mr. G. Chaundy. The usual class for twelve specimens in pots brought flowering plants, as is customary, but these were not of sufficient import to need notice. It is only large growers like Jlessrs. Turner or Douglas, who employ a van to bring their flowers to the show, that can compete in such a class as this. It is of very doubtful value and possesses no inte- rest. The premier Carnation was s.f. Harry Can- nell, shown by Mr. J. J. Keen, and the premier Picotee h.r.e. Madeline, shown by Mr. C. Turner. As is usual, Messrs. Veitch and Sons exhibited a large collection of cut blooms of Carnations of a varied and interesting character, and from Messrs. Laing and blather, nurserymen, Kelso, came a large number of fine blooms of the blush and pink- coloured Souvenir de la JIalmaison, the crimson Mme. A. Warocque, and Germania. Fir.-t- class certificates of merit were awarded to Mr. C. Turner for s.b. Dr. Hogg, a very fine and striking flower of good size, very smooth, and bright in colour ; and to Mr. Martin K. Smith, Hayes, Kent, for Niphetos, a pure white self of great beauty and finish ; and to Lady Gwendoline, a pale red self somewhat dull in colour, but fine in petal. Names of plants.— if. B.— Labels had all be- onme Jetaclicd and loose in box. Cullins and (nibriel. — Erigoron speciosus. J. A. Torch— In the absence of flowers, we should say your spociTiion was Rhus glabra. E. L. Pitt. — 1, Sedum refloxuni ; 2, S. acre ; 3, S. sexangularo ; 4, not recognised ; 5, S. Ijydium; (!, Sempervivum atlanticura. J. Milsom. — 1, Habenaria bifolia : 2, Orchis uiaculata, colour va- rieties ; 3, ditto ; 4, Veronica Teucrium ; ij, Pulmo- uaria saccharata ; (i, Astrantia cariuthiaca. Nfp. tune. — 1, Aniolauchier hotryapium ; 2, Leycostoria formosa; 3, lUius Cotiuus ; 4. Pittosporum umlula- tum ; 5, Actiuidia, possibly. T. Laxton.— lirigeron acris. Hempshill. — Rose, double form of the Bour- sault or alpine Rose. H'. H. .4.— Lathyrus lati- folius ; Rose Maiden's Blush. E. Hidi-l,iit.-^oii. — 1, Linum flavum ; 2, Philadelphus microphyllus. IF. — Lselia elegans. (t. O.—i, Sedum Telephium ; 5, Ceanothus azureus ; Currant Red Dutch ; we Jo uot name Rosea. 90 THE GARDEN. [July 25, 1891. Woods and forests. BIRCH AS A SCREEN TREE. We get a very various collection of trees recom- mended for screen planting, but I do not see enough said about the Birch. There are plenty who go in for Evergreens and also for such free- growing trees as the Poplar. There are many qualifications possessed by the Birch which none of these have. In situations where screens or wind-breaks are wanted, it is clear that a very important consideration is to have a tree which is not liable to be torn about by the winds. Another thing is to have one which by its habit will afford protection down to the ground level. The commonest classes of trees which grow on a single stem are deficient in this respect, as there are very few which are feathered to the ground. The Birch, springing up, as it does, more in bush form with several stems from a 8tool, will very soon fill up space admirably, as if planted in belts some three rows deep and arranged in a zig-zag manner, the openings be- tween the stools in the front row will be filled by the base of the tree in the second. This, of course, would apply to a great extent to all trees which have a bushy habit, but especially so to the Birch. Perhaps the greatest recommenda- tion of the Birch is the beauty of its stems after a few years' growth. When, as I have said, the trees are arranged in belts two or three deep, the eftect of the silver bark, as the steins incline at all angles, and the ramification of the smaller branches can hardly be equalled. This applies to the winter aspect, but it is increased tenfold by the foliage during the summer. An- other point about the Birch is that it does not grow to a very great height, and the stems do not reach a very large size. In certain classes of screen - planting it may be quite in character to employ trees which grow to towering heights and large sizes, but this is only for comparatively distant eH'ects. For planting in proximity to residences such trees would be highly objectionable, as the portion of the tree which should really form the screen is away up in the air where it is not wanted, and there is the very appreciable danger of the whole thing being blown across the bouse with the chance of destroying property and perhaps life. With a tree like the Birch neither of these disadvantages exists, as the wind-break is where it is wanted, i.e., near the ground, and the sizes of ihe trees are so small relatively, that very little risk is incurred even if they are planted near enough to buildings to fall upon them if blown over. In fact, I look upon the Birch as a mnltmn in. parvo to planters who have limited spaces to deal with and soils very diverse. There is no doubt that the Birch, like the Alder, will grow faster and to a larger size upon moderately moist sites, but it does not refuse to make progress in places the very re- verse. In these remarks the term screen has been principally adopted in the sense of wind- break, and the value of Birch in this respect considered, but what is true of this part of the subject is true of it as a screen to shut out blotches in the landscape or to render lawns or premises more private. It is, perhaps, already used more in this direction than in the other, but it is equally suitable for both. The circumstance of its being devoid of leaves dur- ing the winter is from any point of view of little importance, and from some points it is a factor in its favour. It cannot be denied that, how- ever grateful the green may be in the dull months, there is] a certain monotony in the constant presence of foliage, but in the case of the Birch there is, as the seasons roll on, a never-ceasing succession of effect. J. TREES ON LIMESTONE SOILS. There are so many limestones belonging to different formations and of such variety of texture and den- sity that I will at once state that the kind to which these remarks chiefly apply is that known as coral rag. The elevation is several hundred feet above sea level, and forty or fifty miles inland. Generally in the part of this formation where these notes have been made the soil is sufficient to allow of fairly deep ploughing and thorough cultivation, although the implements occasionally come into rather too abrupt contact with the rough stones of the subsoil which are above the ordinary level. This, as the name of the formation implies, consists of rough stones of a coralline character, more or less com- pactly packed together, according to the presence or absence of rubble. The soil itself is largely composed of the same class of stones more finely sub-divided, and in a free state over this district, which is moderately wooded, most of the common trees indigenous to this country are found, and, of course, introduced species where they have been planted. Taken on the whole, the tree growth about here may be described as moderate, as there is very little of the appearance of stunted growth, and, on the other hand, little of the luxuriance which is met with on some soils and situations. The Elm is a typical tree. It generally has a healthy look, but does not grow with particular rapidity or produce wood of the clearest grain. Some large trees are here and there found, but the indications are that they have taken centuries to come to maturity. A fine old tree of this species (the common English) stands on a village green within the boundary of this limestone formation, and seems to have been used from time immemorial as a trysting-place. Many of its roots are now bared, and from their conformation point to an era long since passed into history. There is one thing which I have noticed in connection with the pro- gress of young trees upon this subsoil, and I have often heard others comment upon it, and that is the effect that any disturbance of it has in causing a fresh growth. In several places within the area, quarries have been opened, the stones removed for various purposes, and the rubble, which was useless for road-making and the like, again filled in and the surface levelled. When planted on such sites the young trees as soon as they become established feel the benefit of a free root action in the subsoil from which the closely packed stones have been removed. In all such cases, care is of course taken that the soil is removed before the quarrying commences, so that when the opening is filled up the soil may be replaced in its natural position. This, however, only in passing, as it is obvious that quarrying an area for the purpose of making it suitable for tree planting would be a very unprofitable business. There is a proportion of Oak timber growing upon this limestone, but it does not seem nearly so much at home as upon the clay soils a few miles distant. What trees there are mostly turn out to be of good quality, and I have seen some very large Oaks upon it, but it cannot be fairly called anything more than an average Oak soil. In speaking of tree growth on soils contiguous to it, the Oak and the Elm improve in just opposite directions. As has been said, the Oak does better as it approaches the clay. The aftinity of the Elm is for the sandy loam which flanks tlje district under notice on the opposite side. With regard to the Ash, when it is found in woods and plantations on this limestone, it grows pretty freely and iiroduces very often good timber, but isolated it does not make any es|iec'ial headway. From this it would seem that other influences have their weight beyond the question of soil, and undoubtedly they have, Imt to enter upon them here would be a little beyond the scope of these notes. Of Beech there is not a great quantity, but what there is bears out what I liave said of the other trees, and the Sycamore differs but little. Unfor- nately, the Horse Chestnut is of little economic value, otherwise it is a tree which seems to thrive as well as many. I have never had an opportunity of testing the actual rate of growth by measure- ment, but its tendency apparently is to grow quickly when young, and then remain in stiifii quo for a number of years. Poplars grow, as they will on almost any soil, but after a generation or two they lose their vigour. A Lombardy Poplar which has often been pointed out to the writer as being planted by a near relation a little over half a cen- tury ago has reached a great height and a consider- able size, but others within short distances seem to be fast losing their vitality. With respect to coniferous trees, the Spruces do not seem to do at all. Larch succeeds moderately well, and would be a good tree to plant upon spots which had been quarried, and which consequently may not have the level surface which is desirable for cultivation. Of Scotch Fir there is not much, but what there is seems to grow well enough as regards health, but slowly. Amongst the underwoods the Hazel is the most general, and reaches a usable size in a dozen years or so. There are, of course, many trees which have not been touched upon, but enough will have been said to show that though by no means luxuriant, trees upon the coralline limestone in most cases succeed fairly well. D. Trees in parks. — There is nothing that adds so much to the importance and beauty of an estate as fine tree growth. A park surrounding a mansion unembellished by fine trees should never be seen in this country. Yet we could cite many examples of such. With our present wealth of trees so readily obtainable at almost a nominal cost, a tree- less park should be a rarity, for if not favoured with patriarchal tree growth such as surrounds our noblest and oldest country seats, there is now such a choice of ornamental trees for every locality and soil, that there is no excuse for not planting. We have plenty of tried subjects for planting among our English forest trees without resort- ing to doubtful novelties. Compare, for example, the common Silver Fir and the common Spruce with some rare species. Neither the Silver Fir nor the Spruce is reckoned of much account as an ornamental tree ; nevertheless, when planted in suitable situations, in a damp climate, and in a tolerably moist soil, either of them— especially the Silver Fir — far surpasses some of the more recent and popular introductions. Both are perfect in their shape, grow nearly IW feet high, and re- tain their branches, even when grown thickly to- gether, down to the very ground. Thousands of such examples are to be seen in the valleys of the west of Scotland. Then among other park trees we have the Holly ; it will grow -10 feet high, and nearly half as wide, if it have room, and be perfect in shape, and when covered with fruit it cannot be surpassed. "The Garden" Monthly Parts.— JViis Journal is pui- lishid in ncatli/ boi'nd MfniVily Parts, hi this form the cotaurcd plates are best ]ireserve inches or 6 inches apart. This will be understood as having reference to the wood in a dormant condition previous to blooming, but it is after this period and when the young shoots are bounding into growth that the mistake is gene- rally made of laying in too much young wood. When the disbudding is efficiently carried out sufficient shoots are only laid in for supplying bearing wood for the following season, or where ex- tension of the tree is needed. As the work pro- ceeds, even with well furnished trees the growths will be somewhat crowded as the fruit advances for ripening ; consequently as soon as the fruit is gathered all the old bearing wood, or such as is not required for the extension of the tree, should be cut clean away. I!y adopting this process dur- ing the growing 8ea.son, the shoots which are re- PLUMS ON SOUTH WALLS. In the north or colder parts of the country this note does not apply, but in this district I find Plums on a wall with a south aspect most troublesome, and experience much difficulty in keeping them clean. I saw a lot of trees on a wall the other day completely ruined by red spider and fly, and in the same garden, with a west aspect, the results were very different, the trees being clean and bearing plenty of fruit. Those trees on the southern aspect had very few Plums, and the trees were much cankered. Both walls had been j^lanted at the same time, and received the same treatment. No doubt the fruit on a south aspect has the best flavour if means are taken to keep the trees in a healthy condition, but they suffer greatly in warm gardens in the southern and western counties if allowed to get dirty or dry at the roots. If not heavily mulched they get dry so quickly, that when water is applied it runs away, the surface being too dry to absorb the moisture. I think it a saving of time to plant Plums on walls with a west or eastern aspect, as they succeed admirably in this position, and the warmer wall may be utilised for Peaches and choice Pears in preference to Plums. I know there are a few kinds rather delicate, but these will do on a west wall if protected when in bloom. Indeed, they require protection before the bloom- ing period, for as soon as the buds begin to swell, the birds are troublesome, and often take the best buds. In the south I have been obliged to dress the trees over to prevent their attacks during the winter when the trees were at rest and there was snow or severe frost. I may add that the trees described were planted in very light soil with a gravel bottom, therefore, more subject to disease than when planted in a good loam. They also had no mulch, which is most essential to success if fine fruits on a southern aspect are expected. I should certainly not plant trees on a south wall, unless in the north, and even in the north the hardier kinds do splendidly on a west wall, as they delight in a cool bottom and to have the roots kept near the surface. Many of the Gages in exposed places re- quire more protection, and to them this note is not applicable. Plums on walls are most subject to insect pests at this time of year, and every oppor- tunity should be taken to get rid of them as soon as they .appear. Wehaveforsome time,'in our light soil, been obliged to syringe our trees frequently with a weak solution of soluble paraffin ; this leaves the foliage clean and bright, and it is soon done when a garden engine is employed for the work, using a pint of the mi.xture to eight gallons of water. Stjoa. G. Wtthbs. Cordon Pears and Plums. — The note on the first-named fruit at p. 2s in The Gabdkn show.s the value of cordon trees in exposed positions, and, as Mr. liurrell adds, is got a quick return when a suitable aspect on a wall can be given them. Many of our choicest Pear trees in the open have not a single fruit on them, although they gave great pro- mise. The severe weather in the middle of May quite destroyed all hopes of a crop, as many of our trees were then in full bloom, and the hail-storms, coupled with 11° of frost afterwards, ruined them for a season. On the cordons on walls I am glad to say there is some fruit, and though we could not expect much, our trees having only recently been planted, it shows the value of cordons in seasons such as we have had this year, as being close to the wall they have better protection than old trees with long spurs some distance away. The value of a good coping to the wall for the protection of the blooms was never of greater service than it proved this season, as I found it impossible to keep the trees covered during the storms, the wind tearing the covering to shreds if not secured at all points. Plums in the open, of which we expected abund- ance, have only an average crop, many of the fruits having set badly and dropped prematurely. On the other hand, cordon Plums have fared much better, and in many cases require thinning. I am in favour of the cordon system, provided the trees are duly cared for, pruned and stopped as required, and the roots shortened back when the trees grow too much to wood. Abundant supplies of moisture in light soils, with a good supply of decayed ma- nure in the autumn and again in the early summer to act as a mulch and to assist in swelling up the fruits, are also requisite. I never saw a better pro- mise of bloom than was the case this spring, but I fear in many gardens in this district many of the fruits have dropped. During the last week or two Pears have fallen badly, and we have only a light crop of most fruits, so that in most gardens with light soils a good mulch of decayed manure at this date or earlier will greatly benefit the trees, as many are suffering from dryness despite the heavy rains of late. Many wall trees suffer greatly from drought, and I am well aware in many instances it is difficult to prevent it, owing to scarcity of water and labour to do the necessary work, but where it can be attended to it is of immense benefit to the trees, and pre- serves them from the attacks of insect pests. The late Mr. Wildsmith, who always did hardy fruits so well, considered mulching in the autumn and again in the early summer the two most important opera- tions of the fruit grower.— S. B. STRAWBERRIES. The time when it is the most convenient, and, taking it all together, the best, for planting Straw- berries is at hand. Although the plants, in com- mon with everything else consequent on the cold, ungenial spring, were late in beginning to grow, still the rain that we have had so frequently through June and July has favoured the produc- tion of runners, which, consequently, will be better rooted than in dry summers. It is hardly neces- sary to say that Strawberries, similar to many otherthings, like new ground, that is, land which has not been too lung under cultivation. But in private places when a garden, which is destined to afford the necessary supply of fruit and vegetables, is once made, it has to go on doing so for generations, during which time the addition of manure and vegetable matter with little or nothing else brings the soil into a condition less favourable for Straw- berries than most other things, and on this account we often hear people say that their gardens are too old and worn out to grow the best varieties, such as the British Queen and President, in a way that is satisfactory. Yet this is far from being correct. Where the soil has became almost etfete through long use, or where the land is naturally too light to suit Strawberries, either by containing too much sand or by being of a peaty nature, it can at little cost in either labour or material be made to grow them well. Marl is the best material to add to soils that are naturally too light, as it is to land that has become so by lengthened cropping. This is, however, often difficult to get, or not to be had at all. But there are not many localities where clay of ordinary description cannot be had at little cost beyond that of carting and laying on. The deep trenching and heavy manuring, by some looked upon as advantageous to Strawberries, are wholly unnecessary, and in the case of land such as noticed tend to do more harm than good. Ground that has bornr a crop of early Potatoes or Peas simply dug over a spit deep, with li inches of clay laid on the top, and allowed to remain until it has got quite pulverised by alternate drying with the sun and moistening with showers, then forking it in so as to mix it thoroughly with ,S inches or i) inches of the top soil, will grow the best kinds of Strawberries well for several years. It is hardly necessary to say that the clay should be pointed in when the weather is dry. A heavy garden roller should then be run overit. Therootsof Strawberries, more than those of most things, like ground the best that gives them solid hold. I never had the August 1, 1891.] THE GARDEN. 93 fortune to meet with land that was well suited to Stravfberries until I came into this neighbourhood — north of London. In some cases the gardens had been cropped with the usual vegetables for several generations, and in others the soil was light and sandy, or of a blaok peaty nature. Yet, with the help of clay, I was able to grow the best kinds of Strawberries, including British Queen, as well as where the land was naturally better suited for the purpose, with this difEerence, that the plants wanted renewing often. I would impress upon young hands in fruit-grow- ing that the earlier Strawberries are planted after fairly rooted runners are obtainable, the more fruit may be looked for the season after. Even in a dry summer I would not defer the planting so much as a single week after the runners were rooted, as by giving them a moderate watering before taking them up, and by planting them in a nursery bed (5 inches apart, in which there will be little difficulty in giving them the shade and water necessary to at once set tliem growing, they will there gain strength, and can be permanently planted out later on in showery weather at any time up to the middle of September without any check that will interfere with their bearing the following year. As to kinds, there is little gained by going in for the number of varieties that are often grown. To those who require fruit of good quality I would say plant Keens' Seedling. President, British Queen, and Elton Pine. These will give as long a succes- sion as can be had, except possibly for a few days at the beginning. The varieties that come in earlier than Keens' Seedling are so far inferior to it in fla- vour, or are of little account in other ways, as to be scarcely worth a place. If confined to one variety alone, I should take President, as it combines the properties of large handsome fruit, excellent quality, and is also a heavy bearer and sure cropper. British Queen is too well known to require any description, being the finest Strawberry that ever was raised. Elton Pine is not so sweet as the other varieties named, but it has a distinct and pleasant flavour and comes in after most other sorts are over ; it is also a good grower and certain bearer. President has been in cultivation, so far as I can speak, over twenty-five years, whilst the other three kinds have been in cultivation half a century. Taking these four sorts, what a comment they are on what has been done in the raising of Strawberries in later times. T. B. drier at the roots and the atmosphere also some- what drier are good preventives of cracking in the case of this thin-skinned variety, and it is also advisable to cut the fruit before it is wholly ripe. If kept for a few days on a warm shelf, not, however, exposed to strong sunshine, the ripening process will be finished, and after being cooled in a fruit room or elsewhere the quality is simply unsurpass- able and rarely equalled. The depth of eatable pulp in the case of a fully grown fruit varies from 2 inches to 2^ inches, there being no waste beyond the thin rind. If Eastnor Castle was shown at its best occasionally at the meetings of the Royal Horticultural Society, there would be few certifi- cates awarded to new Melons. — W. I. the year and grown en free'y afterwards will also make good canes fcr fruit ng the f llowing season, but these should be allowed to remain under glass until quite the middle of Septem- ber. Y. A. H. Strawberry President.— Immense quantities of this variety are gr jwn at Badminton, Mr. W. Nash, the gardener in charge, being of opinion that it is one of the very best Strawberries in cultivation. Although there are other sorts that better suit my method of culture and soil, I am obliged to admit that President is of very superior flavour, no variety better repaying for liberal cultivation. At Badmin- ton the soil is heavily manured and deeply culti- vated, and this, coupled with good room between the plants all round, leads to the production of ex- ceptionally heavy crops of fine fruit. On compa- ratively poor soils Sir J. Paxton is a better Straw- berry than President, but the former would make far too much leafage under Mr. Nash's treatment. It will have to be something strikingly superior that will supersede President at Badminton.— I. Melon Eastnor Castle.— I have recently cut several very fine fruits of this excellent, but now seldom grown Melon. We rarely fail to annually grow and fruit one or more plants of it, but have never been quite so successful in fruiting them as has been the case this season. No fault can be found with the constitution or free-bearing character of Eastnor Castle, and if not over-cropped the fruits attain a great size and net fairly well. Unfortu- nately, the greatest difficulty is experienced in pre- venting premature cracking, this probably being the principal reason why so many growers have discarded it in favour of thicker-skinned, and, in my estimation, inferior varieties. From one com- paratively small plant five fruits averaging 5 lbs. each have been cut, and only one of these was partially spoilt by cracking. Keeping the plant a little RIPENING POT VINES. Pot Vines for affording ripe Grapes next April or even later are now ripening fast, and unless this very needful part of the general routine is satisfactorily performed it is hopeless to expect good returns from the Vines when put in to force. Anyone who has had anything to do with the growing of Grape Vines in pots cannot fail to have noticed how freely the Vines which are well ripened break into growth compared with those where this necessary function has been neglected. The above is in marked con- trast to those which are in an ill-ripened con- dition, the growth being correspondingly weak, and in many cases also failing to show bunches. Vines which are started into growth during November or December are being forced much against nature, and, considering the long and dreary months which follow when light and sunshine are at a discount, too much stress can- not be laid on the beneficial influence of ripen- ing. That many pot Vines are starved into ripening there cannot be the least doubt. In these cases, as soon as the canes have changed col- our, they are turned into the open air, where the leaves are often early cut to pieces ; consequently the ripeningof the canes is considerablychecked. The Vines should be kept under glass for at least another six weeks, as by this time the wood will have become thoroughly hardened. The side laterals should also be gradually shortened back untU, by the time the Vines are to be placed in the open air, the whole will have been removed. This process will have the effect of plumping up the buds, and will considerably enhance their breaking more freely when put in to force. Abundance of warm and dry air the Vines must certainly have during this later stage under glass, and the Vines must also be freely exposed to the full light. The water supply should not be withheld upon any ac- count to enforce ripening, as, indeed, this would have the opposite effect and would also encour- age mildew. Each Vine when taken to the open air should be firmly fixed to a south wall or fence, as being the best position to finish the ripening. In some of the large trade esta- blishments the Vines are fixed to a trellis, but in these cases the ripening is far advanced. In private gardens where only a small number are grown, a position against a south wall could be provided. Watering must not be neglected, and if the positicm is very hot and .sunny the pots should be shaded from the glare of the sun, and as the season advances they should l>e surrounded with litter, this both protecting them from frost and also conserving mois- ture without the need of water being artificially applied. The above has reference to Vines which have been grown from what are termed cut-backs, these starting earlier into growth and also with more vigour than tliose which are raised from eyes during the current season. Not but that their canes cut hard back have pushed up several these latter when started into growth early in ' young growths, which are now furnished either BADLY FLAVOURED STRAWBERRIES. The present showery summer goes still further to show, if this were needed, the worthless character of many of the popular kinds of Strawberries. The fine looking Paxton, Napier, and like varieties, to which the growers for market, especially for the London market, all but wholly confine themselves, have this season simply been uneatable by those who appreciate and require decently flavoured fruit. For though, as usual, large and good looking, they have been only so much taste- less, watery pulp. Strawberries are held in almost universal estimation, and it is a misfortune to the vast numbers of people resident in the large towns throughout the country who have no means of growing their own fruit that they have to put up with the watery, wretchedly flavoured sorts which may be said to be alone purchasable in the prin- cipal markets. Nine-tenths of the Strawberries grown by those who cultivate for the London mar- ket, and who also eend hundreds of tons to the principal towns northwards, consist of one variety — Paxton. Even in the best of seasons, after suitable weather during the time the fruit is swelling and a dry time for ripening, it has little merit excepting size and appearance. Yet, poor as it is, it is more than likely that those who have to buy their Strawber- ries or go without them will have another and much worse variety — Noble — provided for them before the Paxton comes in. This, the latest novelty that has had time to get distributed so as to be suffi- ciently known, may lay claim to being early, fine in appearance, and about the largest Strawberry yet raised. But from an acquaintance with all or nearly all of the numerous varieties that have been raised within the last forty years, and of the still older kinds, I have no hesitation in saying that, so far as its edible properties go Noble is much the worst kind that has ever appeared. If there is one weakness with which gardeners and also ama- teurs in this country are afflicted, it is the appa- rently irresistible inclination for novelties. De- mand begets supply, and, as a matter of course, the raisers of new fruits and also of new vegetables are not slow in providing the required novelties. The only passport to popularity needed by new fruits seems to be a fine appearance, especially in the case of Strawberries. Our neighbours across the Channel follow a more sensible course than we do. With them, sterling, well-proved varieties of fruit are held to until some that are really better turn up, which in the matter of fruit is not an everyday occurrence. A like course is followed in America ; there, so far as the general public are concerned, only alimitednumber of varieties of the kinds of fruits they cultivate find favour. The first essential with them, as on the Continent, is quality, appearance holding, as it ever should, a subordinate position. T. B. A note on Raspberries. — These produce much the best crops during a showery season, and this summer would appear to be exceptionally favourable. In some gardens a very sickly start was made, no great improvement having since taken place, and it may be the canes were injured by the severe frosts of last winter. Ours were not injured in the least. This immunity I attribute to giving the plants good room, the worst failures elsewhere being where the canes were much en- feebled by excessive crowding during the growing season. This season Carter's Prolific has surpassed Baumforth's Seedling, I mean as regards the weight of crop produced, but the fruit of the latter is equally fine and the quality is thought superior. Both are very suitable for either garden or orchard culture, as they are of very sturdy growth and re- quire no stakes or supports of any kind. Those plants of Baumforth's Seedling that had most of 94 THF. GARDEN. \Air.i-,T 1, 1891. with newly- set fruit or flowers throughout their entire length, and a capital late supply of ripe fruit will thus be obtained. Carter's Prolific is of a branching habit. Some canes that were stopped last summer branched very strongly, and these being duly shortened back, miniature standards, fruiting abundantly this season, resulted. Here- abouts a very tall variety, locally termed the Bee- hive, is much grown, and if given good room proves very profitable. The fruits are moderately large, somewhat conical in shape, and of excellent quality. It is worthy of note that cutting back the canes on an apparently exhausted plantation of Raspberries has a marked renovating effect. Some of our rows thus treated are producing heavier crops than when the canes were left longer and staked up. stronger young growths being also formed.-- W. I. OLD STRAWBERRY BEDS. Steawberey growers now set their faces against the growth of old plants of Strawberries because found to produce in abundance but mode- rately sized fruit. We so much look for size in almost everything in these days, that even Straw- berries form no exception, and the most successful of all growers is held to be the man who secures the largest fruits. For that reason it is now advocated that Strawberry plants should be treated as annuals, though, of course, really as biennials, planted one year, fruited, and destroyed the next. That is a costly method of culture, and one which will hardly pay, because of the labour which is in- volved in the method. What grand crops have been gathered from well cultured plants the second and third years, there are plenty of growers can testify, but when fine fruits are needed it is unwise to allow breadths to remain longer on the ground than the third year. But those who grow Straw- berries for preserving, or for children, or to supply a low-priced demand will find that in what may be called rough-and-tumble culture there is a good deal of profit and wonderful crops. In old days it was the rule to allow Strawberry plants to run together and form dense beds or breadths, chopping down the leaves in the autumn, and dressing with a coating of short manure. This dressing, desiccated by frost and rain, was well washed into the roots, and did wonders in helping the plants to bloom and fruit profusely for several years. We should perhaps call that method the lazy-bed system. It certainly had the merit of be- ing a cheap method ; weeds had little chance, and the fruits were kept absolutely clean. Eren now, growers put down beds some 4 feet in width of the Grove End Scarlet, manure them during the winter in this fashion, and gather chiefiy from the side alleys. Elton Pine, always one of the latest and very best of preserving Strawberries, does remark- ably well in this way. I planted up thickly for stock some four years since at Bedfont a quantity of plants, but they were not required, as anticipated, and were left to fruit. Really they have had no other dressing but such as the decaying foliage has furnished, and yet there has been a wonderful crop of good sized, richly coloured, and firm fruit of the best possible quality for preserving. For those who like a good flavoured Strawberry, that is, ju.st a little acid, yet of fair size and hand- some, the Elton Pine, treated as described, will give great satisfaction. It is one of the excellent qualities of this fine old late sort that its season is a long one. With some of our large-fruited varieties we get a couple or so of gatherings and then all is over, but Blton Pine holds on for three weeks at least. Last winter denuded Strawberry plants of foliage beyond all previou.s precedent almost. It was thought then that such exposure of the crowns to the weather as had to follow must inevitably harm them. It cannot be said that any harm did result, but the density of decayed matter certainly acted as an excellent mulch to the plants. The fact shows that after all the old practice of mowing over the foliage of the Strawberry breadths was not after all so harmful to the plants, especially as it was the rule to follow with a good dressing of manure. Of courae, it will not do to put down beds for long endurance in poor or shallow soils, but where soils are deep and well manured it is doubtful after all whether, having regard to ordi- nary culture, a breadth left on the ground some six or eight years, and well manured annually, would not prove to be more profitable than a breadth of equal area as now cultivated. A. D. Ferns. NOTHOL^NAS. NoTHOL.EN.is, although not forming nolile and majestic objects, like Goniophlebium subauricu- latum or similar strong growing Ferns, never- theless make elegant plants when they get es- tablished. The fronds are about a fi ot or more in length, and are clothed below either with a farinose powder or with long silky hairs. No- thol;cna3 appear to be nearly related to the Cheilanthes, and most of them come from tropical countries. Most of them grow at high elevations, so that an ordinary stove will suit them admirably. The baskets for their re- ception, made of either teak wood or galvanised wire, should be ttrst lined with ISphagnum Moss, and then have a good amount ot drain- age placed in the bottom with some peat and light turfy loam, to which should be added .some nodules of charcoal and sand. Put the difl'erent kinds so that a little extra mould can be given tbem when they become established ; thi.s serves as a top dressing and the plant.s grow more strongly. Nothola^nas must not be syringed overhead, but they like a fair amount of water to the root. They like a brisk stove heat during the summer, and in the winter the temperature should not fall below 00°. The following kinds will be found suitable for liasket work : — N. TRICHOMANOIDES.— This Is truly a beautiful plant for a basket. I have grown it with pendent fronds 18 inches in length ; I think, however, a length of from 10 inches to 12 inches is niore frequently its maximum. The fronds are pinnate, and those such as I have named carry upwards of fifty pairs of pinna;, somewhat coarsely lobed, the upper side deep green, beneath clothed with ferrugineous scales and a white farinaceous powder. The plant is said to be confined to the islands of Cuba and Jamaica, and in the latter it is plentiful. It requires stove heat. N. L.EVIS is similar in the length of fronds and growth to the preceding. The fronds on the under side are thickly coated when young with white scales, which become brown with age ; the stem and rachis are also clothed with similar sc3les ; the upper side of the pinnaj is bright green. It thrive.'^ best in a cool house. Native of Mexico. N. SINUATA. — This is another plant which grows in the same manner as the last, and, indeed, is fre- quently confounded with it. Ths fronds, which each grow from 1 foot to 2 feet in length, are pin- nate, the pinniE being deeply lobed and covered beneath with long silky scales, which are white when young, changing to brown with age, the upper side being deep green. N. RUFA.— This is a particularly elegant plant. It has, however, a longer naked stem than those already named. It is usually from 10 inches to 18 inches long. I have grown it to 2 feet, however, in length, bearing some thirty or more pairs of pinnre : these are smaller than those of any of the preced- itig. The upper side is bright green ; below, the pinnie are clothed with long white woolly scales. It requires a warm stove to grow this species, which comes from Peru. N. HVfOLEUCA — This plant is said to be a native of Chili. It is very near the preceding in manner of growth, but is perhaps denser and more matted ; the fronds grow to 18 inches in length, and the pinK;c are more closely set and more finely divided ; the upper side is clear green, the reverse side bting clothed with white woolly scales, edged with a marginal line of black sori, the same being a fea- ture of all the species. It is a stove species. N. FEEHUGINBA.— This is a beautiful plant, and is, I beheve, very rare in cultivation. The plant in general appearance resembles a strong- growirg form of the last, the upper side being deep green. The fronds underneath are clothed with a white or brownish tomentum. It requires stove treatment. The following kinds are all worthy of a place in the fernery, and " T. M.'' may grow these plants, and if they are done well they will aft'ord him much pleasure. W. H. GOWER. MAIDEN-HAIR FERNS. Such of the stock of these as will have to be depended upon for next winter's supply should now have extra attention bestowed upon them. If the plants have been picked hard and are now looking rather bare, they should be induced to make a fresh growth as soon as possible. This can be done by keeping the plants tor a little time quite cool and almost dry at the root, then by transferring them to a moist growing atmosphere another crop of fronds will appear. These may probably be rather small, but for cutting, this is frequently rather an advantage than otherwise. Fresh potting of such stock should not be attempted now. Plants which are now making a good growth, or which have at least a good and dense crop of fronds upon them, should be kept cooler, with a free circulation of air permitted amongst them to check any damp- ing, as well as to harden the fronds. If there is not room in the houses, they will do very well in cold pits or frames. When a young crop is now being put up, the plants need no shading ; the growth made will stand all the belter if fully exposed, as well as being paler in colour, which is in most cases an advantage. Plants that have already a full growth upon them may be kept in good condition in a pit or frame facing north by guarding against injury from damp by a free circulation of air. Where the plants are carrying a heavy crop of fronds a good amount of water will be needed ; on no account should they be permitted to suffer for want ot it, but damping overhead is better dispensed with. Young stock which are in quite small pots will be all the better for a slight shift. This will keep them growing for some considerable lime to come. Loam of a light colour usually termed yellow, with a tendency to heaviness, will suit these Ferns a ery well ; if it is not all that one would desire, it can be remedied by adding a small quan- tity, in proportion to the loam, of leat-soil. This is far better than placing any reliance upon peat, and will be conducive to a deep green colour in the fronds, with larger pincit also. In no case should shading be employed where these Ferns are wanted either for a cut supply or for use in vases and grouping. Besides A. cuneatum, there are also a few other useful kinds, such, for instance, as A. mundulum, A. decorum, A. Legrandi, A. Pacotti, A. rubellum, and A. A'ictori;o, the two last being amongst the best of the tinted varieties. A. farleyense, when grown without any shading, is quite a contrast to the same kind when shaded ; both are handsome. But of the two, I think the roseate tints upon the fronds of the plants grown without shade have the preference. Such varieties as A. cardiochl:«na, A. trapeziforme, A. iieru\ianum, A. Yeitchi, A. caudatum, A. curvatum, and A. Sanctii>CatheriD;i5 should be grown under shade. The two first-named and the litst are \ery suscep- tible to injury from scalding, il' only for a short time exposed to the sunshine. All of them are splendid objects when carefully shaded and looked after. Plantsman. Adiantura pedatum. — The stems of this beau. tit'ul species aro hlaclc, smooth, niiJ i)oli8lie(l, tho rlii- zunios creeping :imi tlie frouds deciduous. Tlio latter att:iiii a liei^'lit of from 1 foot to 2 feet. Thoy are bi'o;ul and spveadiu)?, tlio pinnules or segments being of a pleasing sluidc of light green. It comes from North America and .lapan. August 1, 1891.) THE GARDEN. 95 Trees and Shrubs. EVERGREEN OAKS. Some of the Evergreen Oaks are extremely or- namental trees, and deserve more attention on the part of the landscape gardener than they appear to obtain at present. To those who are familiar with the noble aspect of the grand specimens in the gardens of Syon House, and also those in the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew (I am now speaking more particularly of the Holm Oak, Quercus Ilex), it is a source of wonder that more use of them should not be made by planters of ornamental grounds, parks, &c. , in the neighbourhood of London and in the southern counties generally. Wood are unscathed. This has not been long enongh in thi country to enable one to judge the merits of an adult tree, but even as a bush it is a fine object. It is m;t with in books and cata- logues under the names of Q. Buerger! and Q. marginata. Q. Buerger! robusta is a vigorous large-leaved form. (^i. Buerger! pyramidalis only differs slightly in habit from the ordinary form. Q. AGRli'OLiA, the Enceno of the Californian coast, is a distinct species, rarely seen in gardens. It was introduced during the palmy days of the Horticultural Society, and was figured by Dr. Lindley. In general aspect it is no' unlike some forms of Q. Ilex, but the leaves are of a different shade of green from that which obtains in the Holm ( lak. The largest specimen I have seen is at Kew ; it is there m ire a large bush than a tree. According to Dr. Engelmann, however, it attains Quercus alnifolia (the Golden Oak of Cyprus). The following notes do not include all the species of Evergreen Oak which have been in- troduced into British gardens, but the most important kinds are referred to. For con- venience of reference, these are arranged al- phabetically : — Quercus acuta is a native of Japan, and has dark green leathery leaves about the size of those of the common Cherry Laurel. Even after such a winter as the one through which we have last passed, the fine specimens of this species in the beautiful nurseries of Messrs. Veitch at Coombe very much larger proportions in its native habitat. " A large tree, with a stout, low trunk, often 8 feet to 12 feet, sometimes 10 feet to 21 feet in circum- ference, and with a spread of branches of 120 feet.'' It also occurs as a small shrub. Q. ALNU'OLi.v, the Golden Oak of Cyprus (see illustration). — The chief charm resides in the bright gold of the under surface of the Alder-like leaves. Snow persists for a month on the hills where this Oak is found wild, and, therefore, there seemed every probability that in the south and west of England it would thrive. Although it has with- stood the p.ast winter at Kew. it does not grow well, and, as far as the immediate neighbourhood of London is concerned, it has not turned out a success. Q. CERRis FuLHAMEXSis (the Fulham Oak) and Q, cerris Lucombeana (the Lucombe Oak) are, strictly speaking, not evergreen, as during some winters the leaves do not persist until the new crop is developed. In mild seasons, however, the leaves are retained until they are cast off at the time the buds swell, previous to the unfolding of the young growths ; this leaves but a fortnight or so during which the tree is bare. Both these forms make noble trees (iO feet or 80 feet or more in height. Q. CHBYSOLEPis (the Californian Live Oak) is found along the coast ranges and along the west- ern slopes of the Sierra Nevada, where it forms a large tree 3 feet to 5 feet in diameter, or, at higher elevations, is reduced to a shrub. It has not been long enough in cultivation in this country for a definite judgment to be formed respecting it, but it has pretty spiny-toothed dark green leaves, some- what golden on the under surface. Q cocciFEBA is a native of Southern Europe and the Levant. In this country it forms a dense bush with small, spiny-edged, dark green leaves, and is a welcome denizen of the shrubbery. It has very small acorns, often hardly larger than a pea, which now and then ripen in Southern England. Q. CUSPIDATA, a Japanese species, does well in some positions ; for instance, the cool gravelly clay at Coombe Wood seems to suit it perfectly, and Messrs. A'eitch have fine bushes which have with- stood the past winter without injury. On the dry hot gravelly soil at Kew this Oak is not, however, a success. There is a variegated form which does not grow so freely as the green-leaved type. In the "Flora Japonica " of Siebold and Zuccarini, the former of the two authors, to whose efforts European gardens are indebted for so many rare Japanese plants, gives us the following infor- mation: "In ls30 I succeeded in sending to Europe this species of Oak as well as many others. The method of the Japanese, who preserve the fruits of a large Sweet Chestnut until the middle of summer by enveloping them with clay, gave me the idea of sending acorns similarly treated to Europe. From the Tea seeds packed in clay sent by me to Java in 1825-2i5 thousands of plants were raised which now form vast plantations in that island." It seems of interest to mention such an easy and certain way of forwarding from foreign countries seeds like those of Oaks, Camellias, Magnolias, &c., which are very short-lived, and which would almost certainly faU to germinate on arrival here if sent dry in the usual manner. Q. DEssiFLORA is a native of California, where it extends from the Santa Lucia Mountains, through the coast ranges, and especially among the Red Woods to the Shasta region. It is a pretty large tree, 50 feet to liO feet or rarely .SO feet high, and a foot or two in diameter; in some positions often a mere shrub 5 feet to 7 feet high. At Kew this grows freely in rather sheltered places and produces fine leathery leaves of a dark green colour, in outline somewhat like those of a small Spanish Chestnut. Q. GLABRA, another Japanese Oak, has large handsome leaves as large as those of a common Laurel ; the acorns are borne in upright spikes and take two years to ripen. Several varieties are men- tioned in some Continental catalogue.5, but they are hardly distinct enough to merit attention. At Kew the species makes a large compact bush and is thoroughly hardy. Q. OLANDULIFERA, described and figured in the (nm/encrs' C/ironiclf for December 4, ISSO, is a plant about which some uncertainty exists. It is different from the Japanese plant of that name, and in all probability is a garden hybrid. It was largely grown by Smith and Co., of Worcester, un- der the name of Q. austriaca hybrida, and is also met with under the names of <}. sclerophylla and (J. sempervirens. The deep green glossy leaves and perfect hardiness make it a valuable orna- mental tree. ^1. Ile.x, — This Is the best known of all the Ever- green Oaks, and is perhaps the most valuable for 96 THE GARDEN. [Accui-T 1, 1891. landscape purposes. Old trees, which have been allowed plenty of space and have not been pruned, but allowed to grow naturally, exhibit a remark- able similarity in appearance to the magnificent Olive trees of the Italian coast and of the French Riviera about Mentone, Nice, i:c. Q. Ilex is one of the most variable of Oaks, but none of the named varieties, and there are many, are so beautiful as the type. • ). PHiLLVKiEOlDES is a Japanese kind with light, bright green rounded leaves with few or no teeth. In England I have only seen it as a bush ; it is the Q. rotunda of Dutch nurseries. Q. SuBER (the Cork Oak) seems to me to be con- fined in a wild state to Western Europe. Except for the wonderful development of its bark, this hardly differs in general aspect from the Holm Oak. The species thrives at Kew, and has to be pro- tected by iron hurdles to prevent the public from cittingoffi and taking away the bark. The linest trees I have seen in England are in the fine gar- dens of the Earl of Mount Edgcumbe, near Ply- mouth. (j. viEBNS (the Live Oak of Virginia, Florida, &3.) is in its native country a tree of the first eco- n )mic value, and certainly deserves all the enco- miums passed on it by the enthusiastic Cobbett in his " Woodlands." All the trees in England I have seen under this name are, however, forms of Q. Ilex, and I doubt there being any fine trees of the true Q. virens in cultivation in this country. N. ALPINE WILLOWS. In saying a few words about these, I would only deal with three or four kinds that have long been grown here, and which, in conse- f|uence of their easy culture and adaptability for situations on rockwork, have well earned a word of praise and commendation. Nobody pretends tliat Willows are showy — at any rate the little alpine species, and one might almost add that it is not desirable that every plant taken into the garden should be showy in the sense of having glaring colour. We may have our quiet beauties as well as our loud ones, and to my mind the alpine Willows are well entitled to be classed with the former. I have only grown four of tlieae dwarf shrubs, which, of course, I will speak of by name, but if there are other better or as pretty dwarf sorts suited for the purposes indicated, I should be mo.9t grateful for the information. The neatness and quiet efl'ect of these humble speoie.s are qualities that so well harmonise with and set off other things of colour, that Ijy them in arrangement one may practically enhance the beauty or eftcct of even a beautiful neighbour, just as by backing or flanking a group of Lilies with verdant shrubs you practise an art that is better than "painting the Lily." To begin with the Jwarfest, Salix aerpylli- folia. This with me rarely grows more tlian half an inch high — in fact, keeps quite close to the surface, and one is in the habit of taking it fur the dwarfest knuwn shrub. The name well suggests the character of fuliage, which, hiiwever, is superior to that of Thyme, because it is leathery, deep green and verdant all winter. Imagine a carpeting of this for the rarer siiocies of Cmci or any other briglit flower- ing bulb cir tuber tliat dues not make much foliage. S. reticulata is sn choice and useful, that it has pretty well established itself and reputation jn all alpine coUectinns of any pre- tensions. The rigid and hurizuutal liabit, the deep gi-een and thick netted lozenge-shaped leaves, the bright yellow new wond and long grey catkins may all seem tame, but tu the eye they are bc.-iutiful. The shrub scarcely rises from the ground and is dcciduinis, but even when le.'ifless the contorted branches and fat buds are interesting, and when the new leaves unfold in spring they throw out so much llossy hair as to give a silvery effect for a time to the rugged W(ind. I find this species most useful as a setting fur almost any Hnwer of spare foli- age, that is when it is itself in leaf, such, for instance, as the Millas, Anomathecas, itc. The leaves turn bright yellow in the autumn. S. herbacea, though British, is capable <>{ Ijeing put to giiod use in the rock garden on the lines above indicated, i.'-., used as a carpet ; it has an erect habit, and grows 3 inches to 4 inches high here. S. pyrenaica is a little bush a foot high, with grey-green deciduous foliage. Thest. D. Youngi is one of the finest of the larger kinds with dark foliage. D. Shepherdi and D. Baptisti are both equally useful ; these three are amongst the best of all, being of truly noble appearance. Several of the Palms, Cycads, and Pandanads can also be removed from the stove for the same purposes. ( )f sorts which are recognised as being somewhat tender Areca lutescens, for instance, is safe enough, so also is Euterpe edulis ; many of the Chamicdoreas and such of the Cocos family, as] C. plumosa and C. Itomanzofliana, with Pandanus utilis and its nearly allied form, P. Vtitchi, might be used, but I would not advise its use if any future value is placed upon it, otherwise there is no harm, and it would do good service meanwhile. The Cycads require hardly any recom- mendation ; they are noble plants and fortunately not so tender in most instances as those which I have alluded to. Cycas ciroinalis must not, how- ever, be trifled with, as cold weather again comes on. The use of any of these plants greatly adds to the tropical appearance of any show house which in the ordinary way is not considered a warm one. It also compensates for any deficiency in the plants and takes the place of flowering subjects, those of variegated leafage supplying the colour. With abundance of flower out of doors at this season it is not so absolutely essential, nor is it always desir- able to have such a display inside, a change with more greenery imparting a cooler appearance as well as distinctive features. Flowering plants from the stove can also be used with good effect, and without any harm to the plants. Such, for instance, as Bougainvillea glabra, Cleroden'drcn fallax, and Justicias from those of bushy growth, and Eucharis amazonica with Pancratium fragrans from the tuberous-rooted section. These and others I have used repeatedly with no harm to the plants in any way. Exotic Ferns can also be turned to a good account for the same purposes, many being specially well suited when thev are not making any young growth. Most of the Davallias and several of the Adiantums will be quite safe by taking precautions as previously advised. 1). Mooreana is probably the most tender of its family, whilst A. farleyense would require careful atten- tion. The Nephrolepis and most of the tenderer of the Pteris will be found ■ |uite safe, so also will the Bird's-nest Fern (Thauinopteris australasica). All of the fine-foliaged Begonias may be used, as well as the flowering shrubby kinds. Hancing baskets. Whether in the conser- vatory, stove, or greenhouse, these will be found to take a considerable supply of water where a good growth has been made. Non-attention to this is a frequent source of failure, the plants, what- ever they may be, soon assuming a sickly appear- ance if not regularly attended to. in the case of any which are found to dry up rapidly I have found it a good plan to water them in the evening and then again in the morning, particularly when deal- ing with plants in conservatories where it is not at 98 THE GARDEN. [August 1, 1891. all times convenient to water at other periods. If the soil has been partly washed away, a slight top- dressing would be a considerable assistance. All decaying foliage and flowers should be kept re- moved, the position occupied by the plants being one where such things are brought into prominent notice. Syringing the undersides is also a good plan to follow during hot weather. Conservatory \voi!k in general. — Where there are any great amount of climbers grown some of the superfluous wood should be thinned out. This will be better, not only for the climbers them- selves, but also for plants grown beneath them where they impart in any way too much shade. This can be effected in most instances without destroying the eflfect in the slightest. All yellow and faded leaves should also be removed, as well as the dead flowers. A sharp watch should be kept upon the inroads of all insect pests ; these are bad enough upon other plants, but in the case of climbers it be- comes aggravated, spoiling oftentimes the plants beneath them. When a large amount of flowering material is relied upon for the general effect, there will also be some considerable picking to be done in the way of faded flowers. By the persistent re- moval of these the general appearance is greatly enhanced, the plants also profiting in more ways than one. ;\Iost of the plants now in use will re- quire a liberal supply of water; this they should have, as if kept upon the dry side for any length of time, they must, as a matter of course, suffer. No seeding should be allowed unless the seed is really needed for future sowing. All plants as soon as they are out of flower should be taken out to make more room for fresh ones. Kearrangement of the same plants will oftentimes add to the effect with- out any fresh supply ; this can be done without much trouble. Plants fob decoration.— Some cuttings of Panicum variegatum if put in now will grow on into a useful stock for the late autumn and winter season. These, if obtainable in good num- bers could be put in thickly into the pots in which they will eventually be used. A stock of Trades- cantia Is also useful in various ways as under- growths to better things, and for surfacing large pots in vases. A good number of pots of Sela- ginella denticulata is at all times useful ; by making up a stock now a useful lot for the winter season will be secured. If the room is short in the houses, these will easily strike root in a close frame or un- der a stage even for want of a better place. Fit- tonia argyroneura and F. I'earcei are both valuable for choice purposes ; so also is t'yrtodeira fulgida. These all strike readily ecough in a moist heat, and will be foundof great servicewhenflowers are scarcer later on. Ficus repens must not be overlooked ; this is excellent in a small state, and may be used in places with good effect where many things would fail entirely. This should be made up thickly when there is a good supply of cuttings to draw upon. Seedling Ferns ought also to be looked after ; if potted into 2.j-inch or a size larger pot they will be valuable in due course. The Ribbon Fern can often be had in quantity, and it is not to be despised. A good stock of all these things in small pots will be the means of saving better things which take longer to bring forward. J. Hudson. ORCHIDS. Some remarks were made last week about the culture of Cattleya gigas and its several varieties, and their great \alue as beautiful decorative subjects at this season of the year was noted. As a distinct and handsome Cattleya, flowering at the same time, Cattleja Hardyana ought to have the foremost place. It is a supposed natural hybrid be- tween C. gigas and C. Dowiana,and is of the richest and most beautiful colour. The variety exhibited recently before the Orchid committee as the Hamar Bass variety is superior to any form yet recorded. All of this type of Cattleya require a resting period of several months wlien the flowering time is over in a light airy position in the house. The aim of the cultivator should be to prevent their starting into growth before their time. After a good rest- ing period they will make strong flowering growths. Having culti\ated all of them but C. Hardyana in baskets, on bare blocks, and in pots, I find they flower best when grown in baskets or on bare blocks near the roof glass. When grown on bare blocks they require very careful attention as re- gards watering. Continue to give unremitting attention to the summer-flowering Cattleyas, L:clia purpurata, and others now making their flowering growths for next year. They require a higher temperature and more moisture in the atmosphere than are necessary at other times, and the chances are that thrips may find a lodging-place in the partly- formed sheaths. They are not easily reached there by tobacco smoke ; therefore it is a good plan to dust a little flowers of sulphur into the sheaths before shutting the house up to fumigate it. The sulphur turns the lively little insects out on to the leaves, and the united effects of sulphur and to- bacco smoke readily destroy them. We have still some repotting to attend to in the Cattleya house, although all the Cattleyas were repotted or surface- dressed by the end of June ; we would have at- tended to all other Orchids needing repotting if time could ha\ e been spared for it. Some species of Cypripedium ha\e been left over, and also the Odontoglossum vexillarium, with other species allied to it. For the last-named the best material is the most fibrous brown peat and good clean Sphagnum in equal portions, with a considerable sprinkling of broken charcoal and clean potsherds. These plants may be repotted at any time during the present month. The plants do not seem to thrive well when they get of large size. We have a few specimens that have grown and increased in size for a period of from twelve to fifteen years, and now some of them must be parted out into at least a dozen small pieces. When this has to be done, part tlie plants out carefully with the fingers ; if a knife is used to cut through these and the roots of some other Orchids they seldom do well. Some of the Cypripediums need- ing repotting are of the Selenipedium group, such as C. caudatum, and I find that fibrous yellow loam with a little light brown fibrous peat and Sphag- num make a better potting compound than Sphag- num and peat alone. It must be twenty years since I bought a good plant of C. caudatum roseum at the sale of the late Rev. W. Ellis's collection. It used to grow and flower faurly well potted in peat and Sphagnum, or in Sphagnum Moss alone, but the tips of the leaves used to die off until I used the fibrous loam, and now the plants not only grow and flower more freely, but the leaves retain their green hue much longer. The plants prefer a shady part of the Cattleya house. The temperature of this house may be IJ0° to (J5° at night, and when it is shut up in the afternoon, the maximum may be even 20° higher with plenty of moisture in the at- mosphere. The cool house requires much attention also at this season ; even where the house faces the north and is shaded from the south by a wall higher than the apex of the roof the sun hits the glass very strongly in the afternoon, and it must be shaded. In span- roofed houses the heat is intense from noon until 4 p.m., but it is not wise to allow a rush of heated air to drive through the widely opened ventilators. It is better to have a thickish shading material raised above the ventilators, and to keep them a little closer in warm weather, opening them more in cool calm evenings. All, or at least nearly all, the occupants of this house do better with a moist, equable temperature in summer, and a steady flow of pure air night and day filtering through amongst the plants, but not at any time with a rush, such as would expose them to a draught. When the plants have the right temperature .and other conditions favourable to good growth they are seldom troubled with insect pests of any kind. Odontoglossums and Masdevallias are the principal occupants of the house, and, as a rule, greenfly is more troublesome than thrips, as the last-named pest thrives and increases most freely in a hot, rather dry atmospliere. Any plants requiring re- potting should be seen to during this month or in September ; it is ratlier too late to delay the work until October, although even in that month I have repotted scores of plants, and they have succeeded well. J. DoudLAS. THE KITCHEN GARDEN. Unfruiti'-ul Vegetable Marrows —At this sea- son of the year there are generally complaints of Vegetable Marrows failing to set their fruits. These instances occur where the Marrows are growing on little better than heaps of raw manure. The plants certainly grow freely, indeed far too freely ; conse- quently the growth made is very unfruitful. Cer- tainly the material the plants are rooting in cannot be altered, but much might be done by thinning and regulating the shoots, and also by fertilising the blooms as they open. Where the plants are growing on exposed sites, even if the material is of a sounder texture than that stated above. Marrows often fail to set for the want of sufficient moisture at the roots, and manure water in many cases would be of great assistance. Larger fruits, by being allowed to remain on the plants, also often prevent others forming ; so these should be cut off before they become too large, and thus enable others to form in quick succession. ."\Iarrows to be cf good quality can hardly be cut too small, and it certainly is false economy to allow them to remain on the plant. Winter Lettuces. — This will be understood as referring to those Lettuces which will be in use during the winter months. They may be grown in the open until the approach uf colder weather in the autumn, and then be transferred to cold frames, an extra batch being retained in the open to be pro- tected by a covering of hoops and mats. These latter will form a capital adjunct to the former, and if they can be kept free from damp, good heads may be cut up till Christmas. It will be necessary, however, that these latter be planted in a position where they may thus be protected. Sloping banks facing the south and, if the position should be low- lying, narrow ridges form the best planting stations. Those for lifting should also be set out in an open position where a free access of air may impart a ma- tured growth. A sowing now made of either Hicks' Hardy White, All the Year Round, or even Stan- stead Park, the last a comparatively hardy Lettuce, will come in well for the purpose. During a mild winter I have cut this variety from the open without any protection whatever. Runner Beans — If a soaking of liquid manure or e\en diluted sewage be applied at weekly in- tervals to the rows of runner Beans, it will tend largely to the blooms setting freely, as the want of moisture will prevent this more than any other cause. Take care, however, that a watering with clear water is first applied, this preparing the roots for the liquid which will follow. By neglect- ing watering on light soils the plants quickly give over bearing, and if the precaution was not taken of sowing for succession, it makes it all the more desirable that feeding be followed up. All pods must be kept closely picked off, as the formation of the seeds in the older pods prevents younger ones from following in quick succession. If any are required for seed, set apart a portion for this end. Rows growing without stakes must have attention in stopping. By attention to the fore- going details good produce may be gathered until frost intervenes. It should not be forgotten that a surplus of pods may be salted down in earthenware jars, and thus assist the winter supply of vege- tables. Globe AiiTicnoKBa, — Although a deal of atten- tion is not necessary in securing good heads, yet on light soils they are apt to sulTer it not duly attended to by giving occasional supplies of lii|uid manure, the heads, therefore, becoming consider- ably larger than they otherwise would do without such assistance. Of late .years Globe Artichokes ha\e become a very important dish, but whether they are appreciated or not will depend largely upon the succulent nature of the heads. The for- mation of flower-heads prevents others forming in quick succession, so the old heads and stems should be promptly removed. If large heads are required the lateral ones may be remo\ed,but otherwise, when growing in rich soil, or e\ en on light or poor soils, when highly fed, these lateral heads come in \ery acceptable. A little s.-ilt .sprinkled about the surface is a capital stimulant, this imparting a vigorous growth. A. VoUNO. AnonsT 1, 1891.] THE GARDEN. 90 Rose Garden. CLIMBING AND OTHER ROSES. How to have Roses in bloom for as long a portion of tlie year as jiossilile, and in all sorts of positions, is a matter worth serious considera- tion. There are two classes of Rose growers, besides those who grow for sale ; the one has for his principal object the production of blooms for exhibition, while the other grows them for decoration and the production of flowers for cutting. Now there are so many families of the Rose, and so many varieties belonging to each family, that suitable Roses may be foiind for almost all kinds of uses and positions in a garden where flowers of any kind can be used. The fol- lowing are some of the uses to and positions in which Rose plants may be jjut in a garden, viz., beds, borders, shrub) leries, poles and pillars, arches, arbours, walls (north, south, east, or west), hedges, screens, i^c. Before entering into Roses are suitable which have more or less of what is called a cHmbing habit of growth. Roses which make long rambling growths, whose j shoots are unable to stand up without support i of some kind, are the kinds which do duty as climbers. Before determining on the kind of climber to plant, however, the height the plants are required to attain must be considered. Most of the vigorous Hybrid Perpetuals and Teas will reach a height of from 8 feet to 15 feet if the soil be good, and on warm sheltered walls 4 feet or 5 feet more. The extra strong growers of the same cla.sses, with the Noisettes and Hybrid Noi-settes, will cover well up to 15 feet or 2() feet or more. The Ecinksian Roses are excel- lent as climbers, but should only be planted against walls in rather sheltered positions ; they are only summer bloomers. The white and yellow will grow as high as 'SO feet in good soil, but the large white will run much higher. This kind is evergreen, except in very sharp winters, which is a great recommenda- tion, but it is not so free-flowering as the very exposed positions, or, as a rule, thej' will fail to gratify the cultivator. Climbing Roses may be used to screen un- sightly buildings and other objects by training them to galvanised wire or other fences or sup- ports, and, except when the leaves are off, they answer this purpose admirably. All the above methods of growing Roses not only produce good decorative effects, but give supplies of flowers for cutting. T. ROSES AT WALTHAM CEOSS. The popnlarity of the Rose increases every year, and its culture greatly extends. The broad acres of plants that one may see, not merely in one or two, but in many Rose nurseries, are the strongest testimony of the fact, and a visit to a Rose nursery is the best means of judging the meiits of Roses and their particular adaptability for special pur- poses. Surely, if slowly, what many regard as the loveliest of Koses, the Tea-scented kinds are receiv- ing the notice tLey deserve, and how worthy they are of good culture. The past winter was supposed any particulars, however, as to the different kinds of Roses adapted to the various purposes just mentioned, I should like to make a few remarks on the more or less important subject of soil. I say "more or less" here, because if only the commoner kinds of Roses be grown, the kind of soil is a matter of small importance. The old summer-blooming climbing Roses belonging to the Boursault, Ayr.shire, and sempervirens classes, as well as most of the varieties be- longing to the OalHca, Hybrid China, Hybrid Bourbon, .\ustrian I'rier, and many other sum- mer-blooming families, are not at all particular in the matter of soil, being able to thrive and grow in th.at of almost any description, although, of course, they thrive best where the soil is good. Where the best kinds of continuous-blooming Roses are required to thrive and repay the cultivator, there the soil must either be naturally good, or adapted to the purpose by artificial means. For poles, pillars, arches, arbours, walls, sides of houses, and high buildings, .fee, only those Climbing Roses over a doorway. two first-named varieties. The old blush and Crimson China Roses will also run up the face of a wall freely to a height of 30 feet, and, as before stated, for continuous-blooming qualities they are unsurpassed by the varieties of any other family of Roses ; indeed, they are fre- quently at their best when inexorable frost sternly interposes and checks them ; in spite of this, however, it is not unusual to find a few buds still unfolding at Christmas-time. The old-fashioned summer-blooming Roses before alluded to are capable of almost anything in the way of height. They completely cover themselves with flowers during the blooming period if rightly treated, and all the treatment they require, if in good soil, consists in tying them to their supports, pruning out weak and exhausted wood, and encouraging to the utmost such vigorous young shoots as may be required. No growths need be shortened except to keep them within the bounds allotted to the plant and to take off' unripened ends. Climbing Roses away from walls should not be planted in to have sorely tried them, and there were those who during the prolonged frost predicted nothing short of annihilation more or less complete. Concerning this again our Rose nurseries sliould afford some evidence of a reliable character, since protective measures would come expensive matters in regard to acres of Roses. A large quarter of standard Teas at Waltham Cross is just as good as anyone could desire, and if standards have escaped without protection and suffered no injury, it is needless almost to say that the dwarfs have done likewise. There are risks attached to the elevation of a Rose upon a tall stem greater far than when we plant tlie same kind as a dwarf bush, because in the last case it has all the opiiortunities of an ordinary hardy herbaceous plant, and if killed to the ground it will start from below, and it there is growth there will assuredly be flowers, because of the finer Roses the Teas are with one consent the freest and most perpetual bloomers. And here they were no excep- tion to the rule. All the good old kinds, such as Marie Van Houtte, Anna Olivier, Perle des Jardins, Niphetos, Catherine Mermet, &c., were present in quantities, and tliey are now or should be too well known to need further praise in such a notice as 100 THE GARDEN. [AuGu&T 1, 1891. this. Each year sees the advent of fresh kinds, and although there are some who say we have enough already, that is not the point. So long as the improvement of the flower is maintained in reality there is no need to fear, and when the new kinds come, be they many or few, we already have such a standard of e.xcellence to serve as a com- parison that the nurseryman is bound to set himself a high ideal. This, of course, applies to our English growers and raisers. The long list of novelties which come from Continental growers are not concerned in the present ques- tion, although here again it is a question of the survival of the fittest, and the unfit are not heard much of or seen after a season's trial. Again and again, whilst walking round this nursery, I was shown varieties under trial ' bat are to be discarded after this season, because, though some may have the merit of distinctness, they do not come up to the mark that warrants their distribution to those who are ready to buy them solely upon the reputa- tion of their vendors. In short, they are not first- rate. Yet hardly a year goes by that is not marked in the history of the Kose for the appearance of some fine kind that is elevated to the front rank almost immediately, and such a place I believe will be taken by Mr. Paul's Corinna, which is to be dis- tributed either in the coming autumn or the follow- ing spring. It has the one desired merit of great distinctiveness added to all the other necessary qualities that go to form a first-class Rose. It has a good, sturdy, vigorous habit of growth and fine flowers, borne erect upon strong foot-stalks, and in clusters that wiU produce a rich efifect in the gar- den, whilst the exhibitor reducing the quantity of buds, as he is wont, will obtain a bloom that "will add points to any box wherein it is staged. I saw Corinna first as a breadth of standards from a dis- tance, and its unique colour led me to ask what it was as well as to hasten to its inspection. It is not easy to describe its colour, as there is a sort of coppery hue about the base of the flower which softens into a flesh tint, and again becomes deeper and more rosy externally, but to do the flower descriptive instice a cultivated colour perception is needed. Medea also appears to be a good addition to yellow Teas. It is a vigorous grower and pro- duces very fine flowers, which are pale lemon-yellow, but increase in colour towards the centre of the flower. The buds aie rather long, but as they ex- pand into the full flower they become quite globular, but retain their full fine form. It promises well, but time alone can prove its value, and the same may be said of another Rose, viz., Waban, that is now being distributed from this nursery. The name is short, but not pretty. The kind originated in the Waban conservatories of Messrs. E. M. Wood and Co. at Massachusetts, U.S.A., and Mr.' William Paul is agent for distributing the variety in Europe. It is a deep coloured sport of Cathe- rine Mermet, and considering that we already have one sport from this variety, The Bride, which ranks among the finest of white Teas, there is every pro- bability of Wab.) there are no symptoms of Potato disease, and further that crops every- where are looking as well as can be wished, as the haulm is abundant without being over strong, and of a fine healthy colour. All this is owing to the frecjuent rains and fine genial weather that we have now had for some time. Like everything else. Potatoes are backward, and liere lies the danger, for should the disease show itself it will work sad havoc, as the tubers are not more than half grown, and, therefore, far from ripe, and if the folinge be- comes affected they will cease to swell and be very poor. The remedies fungologists preach against the blight are many, but, unfortunately, most of them are almost unpractieable, as how can anyone deal with acres of tops and spray them so as to wet the whole of the foliage and get the liquid under the leaves where the disease is ! and if it cannot be touched or wetted, the thing is a failure. The earthing-up process may be all very well on a small scale, but who can adopt it on a large one ? And the same with burning the haulm, as being green, kilns would be required, or very fierce fires made up to consume it in that way. If we knew more of the life history of the fungus we might be able to combat it successfully, but it matters not how clean and free the tubers may be when planted and how- ever fresh the land they are put in, or how far dis- tant the crop may be from any other plantation, it gets seized by a passing wave of air, as it were, and a line of disease shows itself through. We see this repeatedly, as it generally appears in patches, and if the pinching off of the fir.st affected leaves would only stop it, then we could be on the watch and off with them before the spores are ripe, but it would seem that they reach that stage in a very short time. The only way probably of stamp- ing the disease entirely out is to cease growing Po- tatoes for a year or two, but so essential an article in our every day diet has the noble tuber become, that it could hardly be done without, and we must, therefore, look to some other means to get rid of the malady. It has been with us now bordering on half a century, but has varied during that time very considerably in the virulency of its attacks, as some years it has been very bad, and in others showing a milder and less fatal form, according to the state of the weather. What seems to favour it are thunder- storms or heavy rains followed by hot gleams of sun and a close moist atmosphere, under which con- ditions the leaves of the Potatoes are soft and sappy, and in that state the fungoid germs appear to attach themselves readily and increase at their will. Dry, hard foliage, such as that of the Fluke Potato and other varieties of that class resists the disease, but nearly all the American kinds seem to suffer from it, which fact ought to be borne in mind by all engaged in raising new sorts, and the earlier the period of ripening the better, as early varieties are more out of the way of disease. S.D. Broad Beans.— I mentioned some time since that I "was growing a new Bean under the name of Bunyard's Exhibition Longpod. I had heard a very high reputation given to this Bean, and also something of its origin in a private garden in Kent where the gardener had kept it from publicity for several years out of sheer modesty. I am now greatly disappointed to find that whilst the stems and foliage seem to be rather stouter than were those of the Seville or Aquadulce, yet the Beans exactly resemble the product of that variety in length, curvature, and sparseness, for the plants produce from three to five pods, but four pods is about the average. It may be that the variety is the product of a cross between the Seville and the Longpod, or it may have been but a sport from the Seville. I obtained a distinct broad type from the Seville in the form of a sport, and the stouter growth of the exhibition variety may be of the same sportiveness. I do not think we have many Beans of the Broad or Longpod types that are the product of special cross-fertilisation. Johnson's Wonderful and a selection of the Hartington Wonder seem to be the best favoured. What popu- larity the Seville type possessed was undoubtedly due to the exceeding length and handsome appear- ance of the pods, rendering them attractive for exhibition. Not only are these very long-podded Beans rather thin croppers, but the Deans are none too closely set in the pods, and they are not particularly well flavoured. Broad or Longpod 13eans should be very hardy to enable them to be sown early, as late sowings not unfrequently pro- duce more of Black Dolphins than of pods, whilst Runner Beans put all the Broad Beans out of court. —A. D. I SHORT NOTE.— KITCHEN. Two good Cauliflowers.— Cauliflower Veitch's Pearl is a capital variety for midsummer use. We are now (July 10) cutting tine heads, which are beautifully close, white, and nf good size, while the flavour is all that could be desired. With the two excellent varie- ties Veitch's Forcing and the Penrl sown in heat about the middle of January, there is no necessity for the autumn sowing of Cauliflowers. A little seed of the above sorts sown at intervals in heat will give a suc- cession until the autumn Cauliflowers come in. — J. Leicester. Stove and Greenhouse. TUBEROSES. TllH present is an important time with all late batches of these useful and fragrant flowers, and the final shift into their flowering pots should be given tliem without delay, if not already done, though, as with some other things, this will depend upon the time the tubers were started. For very late work, by which I mean for supplying flowers from October to January inclusive, I have found potting them, from the middle of April to the middle of May, answer extremely well, always placing them in a cold frame to start of their own accord. They do not all push growth to- gether ; indeed in this respect they are very irre- gular, and, fortunately so, for in this fact much of their value lies, and growers of them in quan- tity well know that any batch, be it early or late, or whether started on bottom-heat or the reverse, will furnish flowers in succession for a month or six weeks, notwithstanding all were potted to- gether and accorded the same treatment, the very latest being especially tardy in pushing forth their flowering shoots, even when subjected to a bottom heat of 8.5°. This, I believe, however, to be in a great measure due to defective roots, or, more properly perhaps, to defective tubers in the beginning, and which fail to emit their main fleshy roots, simply because, either from disease or some other cause, the old stump at the base has been broken off, with the result that only small fibrous roots are emitted from the current tuber. I fear that late flowers of these will this season be very scarce, owing to the bad condition in which many were received, whole consignments having been frozen through and through, and, so far as flowering is concerned, completely ruined. The experienced, however, in Tuberose culture can easily detect a faulty tuber, and a soft neck is al- ways open to suspicion, so that large growers of them are not likely to have potted the good and the bad without first overhauling them. When giving the final shift .") inch pots will be found a useful and convenient size, using a soil fairly rich in humus, to which may be added a liberal dash of good sharp sand. Pot moderately firm, and give a thorough watering when completeil. The best time for potting them, provided they are well and sufficiently rooted, is when the radical leaves are about 1 inches long and before t hey com- mence to droop over, as by so doing injury to these leaves will be avoided. For a suitable position in which to stand them for the present I always pre- fer an open, though shady spot, as such a place suits them well .and the plants are less likely to be attacked with red spider, which is their greatest enemy either in or out-of-doors. A capital place for them is a cold frame with north aspect from which the lights can be removed at will. See that they have plenty of water at the roots and weak liquid manure at least once a week, and on very hot days an occasional sprinkle overhead with water will assist in keeping them clean. Should red spider put in an appearance before the plants are housed, which is not likely if the al)ove pre- cautions are adhered to, the plants should be syringed with quassia and soft soap without delay, using a o-inch potful of the quassia chips and ',1 ozs. of soft soap to 3 gallons of soft rain water. Boil the chips thoroughly in an old saucepan till all have sunk, the soap being also added while the no THE GARDEN. [August 1, 1891. water is still boiling. Towards the end of August the plants must be placed in a pit or frame and the lights placed on nightly, as a very little frost at this stage of tlieir existence and just as many of them are pushing forth their flower-stems would be attended with serious loss. According to the demand for their blossoms they may be introduced into heated structures or otherwise ; it is not advis- able, however, in many private gardens to attempt keeping them longer than January, for they are almost sure to be infested with thrips or red spider or both by the end of the year, and in such numbers as to defy all attempts to keep them in check unless this has been pursued all along. Moreover, there are so many things among bulbous plants that may be had in flower early in the year, that there is no necessity for prolonging their season of flowering beyond what I have stated, and the earliest forced ones will also be pushing on apace. One important fact in favour of the culture of late Tuberoses is their wonderful power of resisting fogs ; even last winter when the glass was black with incessant fogs, and when the flowers of such things as Gar- denias, Tree Carnations, and Callas were com- pletely ruined in consequence, I gathered the chaste and lovely blossoms of the Tuberose in quantity without interruption from September to the middle of January. This speaks volumes for any flowers, and particularly such as possess the purity and chasteness as well as the fragrance of the Tuberose. E.J. large as those of a Sweet Pea, a conspicuous fea- ture being a white eye-like spot in the centre. Seeds are often easily obtained, and this Swain- sonia will also strike readily from cuttings, which latter is by far the better plan where dwarf plants are required. They may, however, be kept and flowered year after year in a dwarf state if cut i ^jj|j back hard early in the spring and repotted when they have started into growth. This Swainsonia is, I believe, also known under the name of S. galegi- folia. I once saw it used as a stock on which to graft Clianthus Dampieri, and in this particular case at least with very satisfactory results, as it formed a finely developed specimen. — T. ELISENA LONGIPETALA. This strikingly handsome and remarkable greenhouse plant is a member of a very small _genus of South American bidli?:, named by the Eev. William Herbert in compliment to Elise, sister of Napoleon. There is a figure of one of the few species in the " Flora Peru- viana " of Euiz and Pavon under the name of Pancratium ringens, the same plate also con- taining a good cut of one of the finest of of the cups. The flower-scape is stout and rises from the middle of a number of bright green lorate leaves, which are annually sent up from a brown roundish bulb of about 2 inches in diameter. The seed is large, round, reen, like that of a Crinum or a Hy- menocallis, and if sown immediately after maturity will soon commence sprouting. It succeeds very well in a good sized jiot planted in sandy leaf-mould, and kept in a light, well- aired greenhouse, or it may also be ]ilanted outside in May on a warm southern border. The bulb must be kejit perf('ctly dry in winter and in a place where frost cannot penetrate. Unfortunately, it is at present extremely scarce. C. G. Van TubergEiV, Jin. Bouvardia Humboldti corymbiflora.— One is accustomed to associate Bouvardia flowers with the dull winter season, and at that time they are, as a matter of course, doubly valuable ; still even during the summer they are very much admired, and extremely useful where sprays, button-holes, and such like are in constant demand. The most continuous summer bloomer is Humboldti corymbi- flora, which is in all respects very different from most of the numerous garden forms now so gene- rally cultivated. The variety above mentioned is of a rather upright free growth, with glossy leaves and very long-tubed pure white Wossoms, remaik- able for their delicious Jasmine-like fragrance. It may be grown in pots, and flowered at this time of the year, or planted out during the summer months it will flower freely. Still this last has one draw- back, for the blooms from the purity of their colour and rather weak tubes to the flowers are easily spoiled by strong winds and heavy rains. This ob- jection, however, does not apply to the other gar- den varieties of Bouvardia (especially those with bright coloured blossoms), all of which will give a considerable number of cut blooms during the summer if planted out. A very good plan, and one I have seen successfully followed where space is available and plants are grown in quantity for winter blooming, is, after the flowering season is over and no more young shoots are required for propagating purposes, to harden off the old plants, and about the end of Ma.y to plant them out in a bed pre- pared for them. The soil should be well broken up, and if necessary some leaf-mould or decayed manure incorporated with it, while the plants must mt be allowed to sutler from drought. A bed of this kind in an out-of-the-way place or reserve ground will yield a great (juantity of blooms dur- ing the summer, and a few years since a florist of my acquaintance obtained such exceptional results during one particular season that he considered it one of his most remunerative crops that year. — H. P. Swainsonia Osborni — The Swainsonias are all pretty free flowering plants, whose Pea-shaped blossoms vary in colour from white to pink and a kind of reddish purple. S. Osborni is one of the beit, and will either flower freely in comparatively small pots, or under more liberal treatment develop into a climbing, or more properly a ramljling plant that may be employed for furnishing a rafter in a greenhouse or for a similar purpose. A healthy specimen will fluwer from midsummer, or even earlier, till the autumn, so that its season of bloom- ing is spread over a considerable period. The flowers, which are borne in erect racemes pro- duced from the axils of the leaves, are nearly as Blandfordia nobilis.— The Blandfordias form a small genus of liliaceous plants, the whole of which are natives of Australia, and all of them bear a considerable amount of resemblance to each other. They are by no means recent introductions, but for some reason or other have been allowed to fall into neglect, so much so, that not only are they very rarely seen in gardens, but are difficult to obtain from nur- series. Tlie different Blandfor- dias all push up a number of narrow Grass-like leaves from a thickened base, while the roots are few in number, but very stout. The most vigorous of all is that above mentioned — B. nobilis, whose roots are of a more fibrous nature than those of some of the others. The lef.\ es of this are rigid and of a bright grass green, while the upright spikes, which well over- top the mass of foliage, bear on their upper part a number of drooping blossoms of a lich golden yellow colour tinged with red towards the mouth. This Blandfordia flowers about Jure, at which time it is certain to attract attention, even among the great wealth of greenhouse plants in bloom at that period. It will succeed under much the same conditions as a Pelargo- nium, though the soil needed is different. That for the Blandfor- dia should be of an open nature, such as equal parts of peat and loam, with a liberal admixture of sand. The best time to repot is towards the end of the summer, after the flowering season is over, and in carrying this out ample drainage should be ensured. After potting, the soil should be kept fairly moist, when the roots will soon be active, and during the winter less water will, of course, be needed, though at no time should the soil be allowed to become very dry. Then on the return of spring the water supply must, of course, be increased, and during the summer a copious amount may with advantage be given, provided the drainage is in good order.— H. P. , . . Gardenias.— Old plants of Gardenias are apt to get thin and straggling if under-potted. This c^n be easily remedied if as soon as the spring flowering is over the branches are cut in freely. The plants will then break back from the old wood To help them to do this keep the atmosphere close and moist and the temperature warm. In a few weeks they will have made enough growth to require potting. If there is any loose soil about the tops of the balls unoccupied by roots it should be got lid of. Any roots that have got into a matted state down in the ilr.iinage should be cut away, and pots two sizes larger should be given. In a stove temperature the plants will move rapidly. ElibeiKi luugipi-talii. Eugraveil lor Tin; CIakden from a pliotognqjh sent by C. 6. Van Tubergen, Jun. Ismenes, viz., the golden -flowered Ismene Amaiicaes, but the differences between this so- called Pancratium ringens and the Elisena longipetala appear to be very slight. The Hist notice of this latter plant is given in the Ilntnniad Ri-yixter for 1838 (Miscellaneous Notices 79), where it is stated that Pichard Harrison, of Aigburth, having procured a bulb from Lima was the first to llower it in England. Soon afterwards a coloured plate ajipeared in the Butdiiical Mdi/icj'iir, and a similar |ilate on a larger scale is also published in the " Refugium Botanicum"of Saunders and liukcr. These jihites undoubtedly represent the flowers in their true botanical characters, but they convoy but a poor idea of their ex- ([uisite beauty. The flowers, which arc of a very jiure, pearly white, have their cups much flattened and declined, the segments, which are of the same snowy white colour, being singularly twisted and about 4 inches long ; jJet them have plenty of light so as to keep the the stylo and stamens project from the mouth ' wood strong and short-jointed. Gardenias treated August 1, 1891.] TBE GARDEN. ni io this way can be got into condition for flowering in the winter. Young plants that were struclv last autumn or early in the spring should be shifted on. Da not stint them for root room. The greatest difficulty that attends the cultivation of Gardenias is keeping down insects, especially mealy-bug. — A. HANGING BASKETS FOR THE STOVE. There are several genera of plants which can be most suitably adapted to this particular work, and some of which in their seasons will give a good sup- ply of flowers also. Prominent amongst these are the .Eschynanthuses, which are most at home in a moist atmosphere, delighting in more atmospheric moisture than many plants. In the opposite direc- tion for a dry house there are Hoya bella, a well known variety, and Hoya linearis, which is not so often seen, but which is particularly well suited to basket culture. Of the .V, ichynanthuses the follow- ing are the best kinds : ,K. javanicus, a bright red ; JE. Lobbianus, a rich scarlet ; jE. longiBorus, scar- let ; .Iv pulcher, a bright scarlet; and ^E.splendidus, scarlet, and one which lasts well. There are others, but they are of more bushy growth, and therefore not so well suited for basket culture. The yEschynanthuses should be well supplied with water at the roots when growing. The Hoyas do not require nearly so much to keep them in a healthy state. Both will, however, do well in nearly the same kind of soil, peat of fibrous quality being the chief constituent ; a little loam may be added with advantage and some broken crocks and char- coal, both fairly fine. The baskets for the .Eschy- nanthu.>es should be lined with a good coating of Sphagnum Moss to assist in keeping them moist. Less will do for the Hoyas, using just enough to keep the soil from falling through. Agalmyla staminea, a pendulous growing gesneraceous plant, is also suitable for basket culture. This, when in active growth, is amenable to the same treatment as the ^Eschy nan thus, but requires resting in the winter as in the case of the Gesneras. Asparagus deflexus is the best of its family for basket culture, and a lovely variety it is when seen growing freely in a stove temperature. The Nepenthes for a warm stove hardly require any recommendation : these are amongst the best of all basket plants. Be the collection of these Pitcher Plants ever so small, N. Mastersiana should be included ; it is un- doubteiUy the finest of all for general use. Russellia juncea is very seldom seen; it is, however, a most elegant plant and oae well suited to this par- ticular kind of decoration. Its miniature foliage and flowers are very attractive. Torenia asiatica and T. pulcherrima are both distinct and useful plants, very free growing and quite distinct. To these the many kinds of Ferns which have been previously treated upon, should be added. Those who contemplate making up baskets will do well to work up a young stock of such as the -Eschynanthuses, Hoyas, and Torenias, of which several small plants will be found more useful than larger ones. Of the others, one plant of each will be sufficient. Plantsman. Clitoria ternatea.- About this time last year a coloured plate was given in The Gaeden of this most beautiful climbing annual, which, though a common weed in many parts of the tropics, is not grown here half as much as it deserves to be, for the rich blue tint of its blossoms is unsurpassed, if not unequalled, by any of its associates, while the light central blotch serves to still further intensify the richness of its colouring. There are several varieties, but to my mind the ordinary form as figured in The Garden is tlie handsomest of all, not even excepting the double-flowered variety which I recently saw in very good conditicn. It is, I think, grown to a greater extent than was the case previous to the issue of the plate in question, and from the admiration everywhere bestowed upon it we shall probably see it become still more popular, especially as seeds are readily obtained from any of our leading seedsmen. To Mr. Wythes at Syon we are indebted for showing us what a beautiful climber this Clitoria is, the flowers from which the plate in question was prepared having been grown in the gar.Jens there. This Clitoria is by no means a strong growing climber ; therefore it does not require a great amount of root room, either in pots or planted out. Liberal applications of liquid manure are, however, of great service, not only in keeping the plants in good condition, but they are thereby assisted in maintaining a .succes- sion of bloom. If the plants are allowed to become stunted in any way they quickly fall a prey to red spider, which soon disfigures the foliage, and is very difticult to dislodge once the leaves are attacked by it.- H. P. Lilium Browni. — This Lily is a very great favourite of mine, and one that, in addition to its other prominent features, may ba grown in pots, and flowered successfully year after year. The flowers are large, massive in texture, of an ivory- white tint within, and heavily tinged with chocolate on the exterior. The flowers of this LUy have been described as solitary, but such is not the case, for though often seen with but a single bloom, a strong specimen will sometimes bear three or four. A group of this Lily forms a very beautiful object in the greenhouse, and when the blossoms are first opened they possess an agreeable fragrance, though after a time it becomes heavy and less pleasing. The pollen of this Lily is of a dark chocolate colour, and when grown out of doors the ivory-white of the interior of the flower is soon sullied by it, so that it is really more satisfactory under glass. Lilium Browni is by no means a common Lily, and always commands a good price, but as a set off to this is the readiness with which it may be grown in pots. — H. P. Chrysanthemums. EARLY CHRYSANTHEMUMS. The earliest of these are already in flower. This shows their usefulness not only as pot plants, but also for bedding out either in masses or in mixed borders. From now onwards there need not be any interval until November and December again come round. For nearly si.x months one or the other may be had without any extra care or trouble. Where there is not enough room under glass to keep up a supply of flowering plants for the con- servatory, these early kinds should be grown in quantity. Most of the season when they require any amount of room, they can easily be grown out of doors and taken in as they commence to flower. For cutting, whether early or late, the Chrysan- themum is well known for its excellent lasting pro- perties. For use in tlie house the same holds good when the plants are bush grown and of dwarf habit. These early sorts should receive a larger share of attention ; this may be given them without in any way disparaging the late flowering or November kinds. Those now flowering will last well to the end of August or into September, to be followed by others in good variety ; yellows, however, seem to predominate. Cuttings struck in the spring of these early kinds will make capital stufl: in small pots ; they grow on rapidly when once established. Hardly any support is needed for these kinds which flower early ; this is a decided advantage, not only as regards effect, but also in the saving of labour. Later sorts than these, including those which flower in November, require a little support, but not much when bush grown. The tall growing kinds, floweringfromtheendof Octoberinto November and December, must of necessity have some support. This should be given them as soon as possible, if not yet done, so as to guard against injury from winds. I do not allude to such as are grown for exhibition blooms ; these will have been secured long ago, but to such as are grown for ordinary decoration at home. When thi.s is being done the suckers and lower shoots should be removed to strengthen the plants. Aphides of all kinds, black or white, should be looked after and destroyed by a dusting of tobacco powder. Do not attempt to feed with manure of any kind for some time to come ; too much of this generous treatment only tends to over-luxuriant wood at an expense later on of fine blooms. All the Chrysanthemums do best in sunny positions, but this is not enough ; if this is secured, the place where they are grown may be rather confined upon the sides, or in other words too much sheltered. This should not be allowed, otherwise the growth will be too soft, caused by too much moisture surrounding the plants. They will do better if in a position where the wind does sometimes blow them over ; standing the plants thickly together should not be adopted as a remedy against this. PlantsmAN. NOTES OF THE WEEK. Prunella grandiflora. — I send you some flowers of this. It i3 a very tine garden plant ; the handsome flowers are freely borne on stems 0 inclios to 8 inches high. It is more telling than P. Webbiaua, which I see has got a certificate.— T. Smith, Ncu-r>j. A fine Maiden-hair Tern.— Mr. J. T. Flet- cher, The Gardens, Lyuhales, Kington, Hereford, sends us a good photograph showing a remarkably fine specimen of Adiautum cuneatum, which is growing in a 20-inch pan, and measures -1 feet 6 inches in dia- meter. Seedling Carnation. — Herewith we send you a seedlirg purple Carnation, of which we should like your opinion. — C. &: G. *,* A valuable variety, seeing that it dons not split iu the least. The colour is a wonderfully lich dark purple with magenta shade. — Kd. Lamarck's Evening Primrose (Q'^nothera Lamarcliiana) is to much iu advance of the common Evening Primrose and succeeds under such a variety of conditiime, that it alone should be grown. It is easily naturalised, and in a wild state, if its propor- tions are smaller, it has a charming effect, especially iu the evening. Campanula Tommasiniana seems to be a comparatively little known BellBower in gardens, and yet one of the easiest of the alpine species to manage. In habit it much resembles C. pusilla or C. Waldsteiniana, but has long funnel-shaped flowers instead of cup-shaped ones, which these two species have. The flowers are bright blue- purple, and the plant is very useful for rockeries or the front of mixed borders. Lilium Grayi. — In a bed near the principal entrance to the Royal Garden.s, Kew, L. Grayi, the North American species named in honour of the late Dr. Asa Gray, may now be seen in flower. It is a slender plant, 1 foot or 18 inches high, with whorled leaves and small flowers about 2 inches long, the segments reflexed in the upper half and coloured crimson on the outside, bright crimson with deep maroon spots inside. Its nearest affinity is with L. canadense. L Grayi is now in flower in the Royal Gardens, Kew, and, so far as is known, this is the first time this Lily has flowered in Europe. In habit and general appearance it suggests L. cana- dense, but the flowers are produced singly on the stem, of a rich reddish orange, covered their whole length with deep purple spots, and do not reflex, as in L. canadense. The bulbs are similar to those of L. canadense and L. superbum. This Lily looks as if it would be amenable to ordinary culture. It was first found by Dr. Asa Gray, after whom it is named, in 1810, in the Roan Mountains, but other and more robust forms have been found elsewhere since that date — W. Sweitia perennis — For half shady spots or peaty beds, one of the best plants in flower at present is tlie charming Swertia perennis. It is a very interesting perennial plant belonging to the Gentian family, and produces spikes 2 feet to 3 feet high of pretyily spotted grey- purple flowers. When the clumps are large it makes a fine show, and as the basal leaves are always interesting, it is well worth possessing by those having proper ac- commodation. It is propagated by division, which may be readily done in the autumn months. Cyananthus lobatus, when it does well, which, unfortunately, is not often the case, is one of the loveliest rock plants we know. It is a native of the Himalayas, quite hardy, and flowers all 112 THE GARDEN. [August 1, 1891. through July, August, and the early part of Sep- tember. It requires rich free soil and rather a moist situation with the crown raised well above the surrounding level. The plants suffer from damp in winter more than anything else, and al- though requiring plenty of moisture during sum- mer, they dislike it very much in winter. A plant in the rook garden at Kew is nearly 2 feet in dia- meter, with hundreds of flowers in all stages of development, and so well does it grow that we noticeJ the other day some self-sown seedlings, which are very rare in the case of this species of Cyananthus. It may readily be raised from seed. It should never be disturbed if possible. The Oswego Tea or Bee Balm (Monarda didyma) is a lovely and very useful plant in the garden. It is one of the plants that bees seem to prefer to all others. To get the plant in its best form, however, it requires a bog or moist deep soil, as then it will often grow 3 feet and -t feet high, and produce an abundance of its bright red flower- heads. Like M. fistulosa, M. Kalmiana, and the other species, it may be increased readily by division of the roots in autumn as soon as the leaves turn yellow. It is a native of North America and quite hardy in this country. Solanum Wendlandi. — There is a fine ex- ample of this magoificent stove climber in the sncsulent house (No. 5) at Kew, where it is planted in a shallow raised border and exposed to full sunshine all day. Seeing that the plant in the sunny Water Lily house has succeeded so well, and also from its behaviour in the dry succulent house, we may conclude that this Solanum must have plenty of light. It is unquestionably the handsomest stove climber that has been introduced of recent years. A coloured plate of it was pub- lished in The Gardex, February 1, 18110. Fuchsias in Hyde Park.— The Fuchsia is a leading flower in the London parks this year, and the change from the formal parterre to arrange- ments in which the Fuchsia plays a prominent part is welcome. In Hyde Park the Fuchsia is now in its fullest beauty. There are specimens 3 feet and upwards in height, the slender shoots sweeping the ground. This is a great improvement on the ribbon borders and panel bedding, and each season we are glad to see that greater use is being made of hardy flowers and such graceful subjects as Heliotropes, Ivy- leaved. Pelargoniums, and Fuchsias. Lilium longifloruta var. chloraster has lately been descnbed by Jlr. Baker from plants in flower at Kew, and originally received from Dr. Henry, who collected them in Northern China. There is a very marked difference in foliage be- tween this new introduction and typical longi- florum, as well as in the form of the flowers, which in the variety chloraster are much more inflated than in ordinary longiflorum; as the name indicates, the segments have a tinge of green extending from the base up about two-thirds of the segments. Spiraea gigantea. or S. kamtschatcensis, as it is also called, turns out to be a much finer and more useful plant than we considered possible from seeing young specimens. Its name of gigantea is well earned, as the plant we have hag thrown up stems at least 10 feet high ; these, clothed with large palmate leaves and surmounted with huge feathery heads of white flowers, remler it a very conspicuous object in the distance. It does best in the near vicinity of water, or at least in damp situations, and would, perhaps, look better it planted so as to appear growing out of something else. Dianthus Courtoisi has flowered with us for the first time, ami if we are to judge of hybrid Pinks from this one, let us have more by all means. It has been raised between D. barbakus and D. su- perbus, but as a rock plant it is much superior to both, with a free habit, and bearing numerous brilliant magenta-purple flowers. It is certainly a great acquisition, and seems to be one of the Pinks that can be managed with the greatest ease in the ordinary garden. It may be seen to the best advantage on a rookery, but it grows and flowers equally freely in the bed or border, and has a good perennial habit, which is a desideratum. Eryngium Oliverianum has coloured more brilliantly this year than we have ever seen it here- tofore. The long, cold winter in all probability agreed with the plant, as it certainly did with the generality of alpines, the habit being much neater, the stems dwaifer, and the heads, if anything, larger. This Eryngo evidently wants starving slightly to get the most out of it, as the plants we have growing in almost pure sand are much bluer than those growing in the ordinary border. It varies, however, some few of the forms being quite grey, and never blue, even in dry seasons. These, evidently seedlings, are the forms to avoid, being of much the same colour as E. giganteum, and, of course, not nearly so good. (Eaothera missouriensia makes a splendid rockwork plant when grown on dry sandy soil and in full sun. In rich soil it makes too luxuriant growth to flower freely, and does not in conse- quence make such a good rockery subject. It forms long trailing stems with narrow shining leaves and large, bright yellow flowers, which are borne in profusion all through the summer months. (E. tanacetifolia, a Californian species with deeply cut leaves and yellow flowers, is also a good rock plant, and soon makes a large patch. (K triphylla, a very dwarf species with yellow flowers and irregu- larly dentate leaves, is also worth growing, as are CE. eximia, . They have not all originated from sports, although many kinds have been obtained in this way. A true Hybrid Tea, and doubtless there are many in cultivation, would be a variety ob- tained from the intercrossing of two Tea Roses, but those to which this name is now applied have not this exclusive parentage, and coming from varieties selected from two distinct sec- tions, they belong legitimately to neither. If those who are seeking to found for them a dis- tinct class wish to achieve the object they have in view, perhaps the best and most expeditious way of doing so will be to agree upon some suitable descriptive term that cannot mislead, yet imply all that they wish it to mean. Polyantha Roses is a misleading term, judg- ing from the fact that an amateur recently asked if they were suitable for covering a wall. He knew Rosa polyantha to be a most rampant species, and it was natural to suppose that the varieties, though differing in colour of flower, had the same climbing habit ; he would not for one moment think that they had gone to the opposite extreme and were practically the dwarfest Roses in existence. What is the origin of these fairy Roses, for such they may aptly be termed ! If they, are seedlings from the type, how have they been produced ? Grower. ROSES ON WALLS. EvEEYONE will agree with the writer of the article upon " Roses on Walls " in The Garden, August 1 (p. 100), " that they are most suitable." But there is one statement that few will accept without questioning, namely, that the delicate light- coloured white or pale or deep yellow Roses look best against a red building. A red building is the most conspicuous and the least beautiful back- ground for any sort of flowering climbing plant, and particularly for Roses. Red buildings are offensive in the garden landscape, and ought to be effectually hidden by a growth that prevents their coming into contrast with any sort of foliage or blossom. We grow all the best yellow Tea Roses upon walls of stone, and where the face of the wall is visible the harmony is far better than a contrast, such as a red wall would afford. After all, the background is not of great importance with some of these vigorous Roses, because they have such ample leafage, but a red wall if visible is always conspicuous, and has a harsh look. The selection of varieties given admits of improvement. Where, for example, are those two grand Dijon Teas so suitable for walls, namely. Bouquet d'Or and Emile Dupuy ! Either of these is far and away better than Belle Lyonnaise, this kind being naturally tender and so uncertain that I have long since given it up. I may have been singular in my ex- perience of Celine Forestier, but it was such that I should not include it among the list of best wall Roses, and for such purposes selection is most im- portant, because when we have clothed a wall we do n< it want to strip it again owing to the failure of any variety. The way to prevent a possible fail- ure is not to plant Keine Maria PJa. An eminent grower once gave me a list of what not to plant among Roses, and this one was included, but the list, though useful for preventing future mistakes, came too late, so far as this kind was concerned, for it had just been rooted up after having covered great wall space and produced quantities of buds without ever giving a good flower. Bouquet d'Or has now nearly re-covered a large piece of wall that was previously occupied by Reine Olga de Wurtem- berg, which, though hardy, vigorous, and showy, and a really grand Rose for special positions, was most unsuitable for the place it had been given. Although comparatively new, there are several Roses that must already rank as first-rate for walls, one being L'ldeal . which is most lovely and distinct . Another is Mme. Chauvry, a kind with the vigour of, and similar growth to Mme. Berard and with as fine a flower, but in its bud and half-expanded form possessing all the colour of W. A.Richardson. Duchesse d'Auerstiidt, in the way of growth like Rove d'Or, has flowers that may even yet rival Mar^chal Niel in colour, whilst they have fine form and powerful fragrance. If " S. D." has to plant more Roses upon walls, 1 strongly advise him, no matter how select the kinds must be, to try these three, and it will be strange if they prove disap- pointing. A. H. AMONG THE ROSES. Probably not since the cold, drenching summer of 1S8X have Roses at this season been so completely flowerless as ours are at the present time, August 1. It would be simply impossible to cut 50 present- able blooms from hundreds of plants, embracing all the best Tea, dwarf, climbing and Hybrid Perpetual jorts, and this solely the result of the weather. July, usually a month of extremes, has proved no exception to the rule, and the past July has been extremely wet. The quantity of water that has fallen has not been excessive, but showers, short in duration, though very sharp and heavy, coming day after day have made it im- possible for Roses to open. The buds of the full double-flowered kinds have been sealed masses of rotting petals, and of the less double Roses, especially many of the charming Teas, those that have managed to open have been washed colourless. In ordinary seasons numbers of the finer Hybrid Perpetuals are not at their best till July, and in this abnormally late season they have been of short duration, for the first flowers opened, but the later buds rotted and have been picked off in hundreds. With some of these it means that we must wait till another season before seeing them in full beauty, for the so-called perpetual blooming character attributed to the whole section really exists in but a few. Among the Teas in average seasons blooms are always fairly plentiful even during the period between the two great displays of summer and autumn ; but now, and for another week or more, according to the weather, there must be a complete blank. This, however, is the darkest side of the picture, for whilst the Roses have not exhausted themselves in blooming, they have been grow- ing vigorously beneath dripping skies, and never was growth freer from parasitic or insect pests. Everything points to a most prosperous autumnal bloom among Tea Roses, and the probabilities are that we shall enjoy it, since August and September are often the two most favourable Rose months of the year. Sometimes we long for a copious rain to wash the Rose bushes and help them to gather up fresh food and renew the energy exhausted by the first summer season's blooming, but this year they have suffered little exhaustion, and are now full of life, energy, and budding promises that might ere long, with genial weather, be fully and gratefully realised. There has at present only been about a fortnight of real Rose weather. Suffolk. Roses and Gladioli —By planting large beds with dwaif Roses, intermixed with such bright kinds of Gladioli as G. brenchleyensis a magnificent effect may be produced, as they blend well with the Roses, and the two together make a grand show. Almost all the Tea Roses look remarkably well in the same way, and Gladioli never appear so much at home anywhere else as when so planted, there being a lankiness or nakedness about the lower part which the Roses hide and help by their foliage. Another great advantage in having the two together is that when the Roses become thin of bloom the Gladioli take their place in making a gay bed or border, as the case may be, and if the hardier kinds of Gladiolus, such as Lemoine's hybrids, are planted, they may be left in for the winter. Even if taken up there is no danger of doing harm to the Roses if the lifting is carefully done. — S. Rose Souvenir de la Malmaison.— This fine old Rose is not half so much grown as it deserves from its great merits. There are few more beauti- ful than it is when about half expanded, as then it is perfect in form and lovely in colour, the soft flesh or pink shading being quite unique and pleas- ing when the weather is cool. Although the Souvenir de la Malmaison flowers nearly all through the summer, it is generally at its best during the 118 THE GARDEN. [ALGUbT 8, 1891. autumn, if iine, as then it opens its buds more freely, which at other times it seems to have a difficulty in expanding. This is its only weak point, as in other respects it is almost perfection, and will grow anywhere in moderate soil.— D. NABONNAND'S ROSES. The Roses that have come from the above-named raiser have never become very popular, although they have been fairly numerous ; but he has un- doubtedly raised some good things, and at last in L'Ideal has given us a unique and most distinct Rose that will, when it becomes better known, be extensively grown. It is somewhat in the way of W. A. Richardson, but abundantly distinct from it, having some of the same rich apricot tint, and in addition it is streaked and suffused with yellow and a peculiar shade of red. The long pointed buds are very pretty. Altogether, it is a novel and most beautiful Rose, and it will assuredly win the popular fancy through its bright and attractive colour, added to which the plant is along, free, and continuous bloomer, and of climbing habit. Comtesse Panisse is another of this raiser's Roses that merits cultivation, as it is of vigorous growth and free in bloom, with flowers of fine form, the colour flesh, deepening into pink, suffused with copper-shaded rose. Francisca Kruger appears to be one of those thin-petalled, very full Roses that require a hot, dry season to do them justice. It has never been so fine since the hot summer of 1887, in which year it was so good, that I thought it one of the best of Tea Roses. It would be if we could rely upon it. as none show greater freedom of bloom, and for \ igour it leaves nothing to be desired. The colour is one of those distinct and charming copper-yellow shades, deepening into buff internally, and shaded with peach externally. This year, after some hot days, the buds were opening in fine form and true character ; but there came one or two damp days, so they advanced no further, but had to be picked off. Mme. Agathe Nabonnand is also distinct, free, and pretty, of a pale flesh colour, with a large, long, yt globular bud, and a full fine flower with a moi e than ordinary amount of sweetness. A. H. THE NATIONAL ROSE SOCIETY AND ITS EXHIBITIONS. To THE EdITOH of THE GARDEN. SlE, — I do not think Mr. Grahame's letter should go unanswered, as I do not consider the small classes are kept up only for those that have little bits of gardens. I think they are simply for those that are not able to exhibit fine blooms in the higher ones, be the cause what it may — poverty of soil, want of attention, or even want of knowledge in the cultivation. I think every exhibitor would lift himself up into a higher class if he felt he could do so with credit, and meet with success. I think it can be said in very few instances to an exhibitor " You show well enough to exhibit with credit in a higher class ; why do you come into this small one and spoil our chance of winning ? " I say this after seeing the quality of the Roses exhibited in the classes referred to by Mr. Grahame. I cannot agree with Mr. Grahame that the size of the garden has anything to do with the class an exhibitor should select, for I know of some cases where the large garden has only one man, and the Roses are neglected in consequence ; whereas in the small garden, filled up with Koses from end to end, the Koses have undivided atten- tion. Mr. Grahame also speaks of people showing in small classeswho have "jOOll to 10,(Ki(i Rose trees. Surely he has been grossly misinformed if he believes such a thing possible, for who would give himself so much trouble for such poor returns, or even if it were done in a few cases, might not the enormous number be rather a hindrance than a help to good showing .' I should judge 1.5no a great many plants to look after (or anyone with only a moderate-sized establishment, and, umcr favour- able conditions as to situation, soil, and attention quite a sufficient number to place anyone in a high class at many of the National exhibitions. Mr. Grahame's letter fails also in not pointing out a remedy for his supposed grievance. Perhaps in a future letter he may be induced to do so ; for my part, I see only one way, which is t" provide classes for those who do all the work themselves, or who only keep one man, &c. — a remedy which might work fairly well amongst local classes, but I doubt if it would succeed in societies like the National, Reigate, or Sutton, who admit all comers. — Charles E. Cuthell. Having read C. J. Grahame's excellent letter in your issue of July 2."), I consider he is deserving the thanks of all the smaller amateur rosarians, and, tor the matter of that, of all true rosarians, as it must be for the ultimate good of all connected with the cultivation of our national flower that the abuses he complains of should be put a stop to. The National Rose Society is certainly in a position to arrange such a schedule, and set such an example to affiliated and other societies that it would be im- possible for a large amateur to show in any sized class, as is now frequently the case. Mr. Grahame cites the Crystal Palace, Sutton, Reigate, and Croydon shows, but at the Woodbridge Society's exhibition (affiliated to the National Rose Society) a large amateur showed and took prizes for iH, 12 trebles, 12 Teas, open classes; 18, 12, (> Teas, ama- teur classes ; and last, but not the least valuable from a pecuniary point of view (there can have been no honour attached to it), t!" local," which one would think was hardly intended for a grower able to take a prize for Js, and in all the other classes. That such a record a.s this must disgust all true ro- sarians and lead to an alteration is the firm opinion of — A Small Amateur. I read Mr. Grahame's letter on the ways of some Rose exhibitors with great interest, and think it high time that someone should move in the matter. Personally, I think that the small growers suffer most from what I may call the in-and-out running of some of the larger growers, who are sometimes found in the champion classes and at others in the 18's and 24's, according to the pro- mise of their blooms in that particular week. I fancy that Mr. Grahame's scheme now before the members of the N.R S. would put a stop to this, and I sincerely trust it will be adopted. — Colin ROMAINE, Ilie Priory, Old Windsor. Orchids. CCELOGYNE ASPERATA. I WAS reminded some few weeks ago of this plant, which used to be so well grown by one or two growers in the neighbourhood of London some thirty years ago wlien this was a rare species, by a nice spike sent me from J. Clif- ford, Sheiheld. When first introduced it was only known to come from Sarawak, in Borneo, whence it was sent by Sir Hugh Low to the Clapton firm, who distributed it under the name of C. Lowi. Now it is found in nearly all the islands in the Indian Sea.s, and in all of them it is known as a coast plant. It certainly has one drawback ; it is a difficult plant to manage, and even in the olden days of Orchid growing one could scarcely lind a place hot enough for it. Where heat, shade, and moisture can be had in abundance this plant will do well, and I have not found anyone to succeed witli it where tlicsewerenotto be found. It grows in immense ma.sses, and the spikes produced by it in a state of nature would appear to be finer than we have seen under cultivation. It is nearly fifty years since the plant first became known, and for a long time it remained a rare plant in collections ; it has now been found to be a very common species in the various Indian islan feet to I feet. The flowers bear some resemblance to those of a Passion Flower; they are very large, consisting of eight long narrow-reflexed petals, which are generally white with a faint mauve or lavender, and some- times purple shading. It is a great pity that the plant is so uncommon in gardens. The seed is very small, and it is, therefore, risky to sow it in the open air. If sown in May or June in a pot or pan and placed in a cool house or frame, the seed germitiates readily, and when the plants are large 120 THE GARDEN. fAuciUST 8, 1891 enough they should be pricked out in a nursery bed or border of rich soil, there to remain till trans- planted in autumn where they are to bloom. It will often attain to the height of 10 feet. — A. H. JULY FLOWERS. The Howers of spring will always be the most attractive, partly because they are for the most part specially interesting in themselves, Ijut, perhaps, still more because after the dreary mouths of winter it is delightful to see the signs of returning lite and beauty. Not that there is one month of the year without its Howers which are ready to display themselves under the most difficult circumstances for plant life, but in the latter part of December and through January we expect longer or shorter periods of snow, during which it is utterly impossible for any flower to show itself. With the warmer sun- shine of February and March we greet with real pleasure the flowers, which then begin to come forth with a message for us which seems to say : " Lo, the winter is past, the flowers appear on the earth, the time of the singing of birds is come." But those early flowers, though they are speci- ally beautiful and attractive, are generally small, and they do not raise their heads high above their mother earth. The flowers of July are gorgeous in their hues, and many of them raise their tall heads to a height of 5 feet or 0 feet. It is especially the Lily mouth. Some few early Lilies are over, such as pulchellum and pyrenaicum, for instance, but in July the finer and taller sorts challenge our attention in any well-managed garden. There are still others to come later on, notably the varieties of spe- ciosum, but in July we have a wealth of beau- tiful Lilies which are found as much in the gardens of cottagers as i.i those of their richer neighbours. We read a good deal about Lily disease, but I am thankful to say that so far I have seen nothing of it. My own Lilies were never finer than this year. Take the most jiro- minent, and perhaps the most beautiful of all, the Madonna Lily (L. candidum) ; this season it is simply splendid. There are heads with twenty-one fine flowers on them, and the average height is about .5 feet. I notice the difference Ijetween our own English variety and the flowers of bulbs which were imported from Holland. The latter have narrower petals and they are not so closely folded together as Eng- lish Lilies. Moreover, at a glance it is easy to see that the stamens are a paler yellow, those of our English gardens being almost orange. Some prefer the Dutch variety, but the Eng- lish is more solid looking, and therefore more ett'ective. White Lilies are abundant in the cottage gardens of this neighbourhood, and they are, perhaps, the finest plants a cottager can grow. Certainly their cultivation should be in every way encouraged. They seem to ike good rich garden soil, such as we usually have in Gloucestershire, deep and somewhat tenacious — just the soil Roses delight in, and in which they will flourish for years on their own roots. Another beautiful Lily in flower at the present time is L. excelsum. It is well named, for if it could speak, it would certainly say " excelsior," as it thrusts its giant head high above every other plant. It has a more agreeable scent than the somewhat heavy perfume which comes from so many Lilies, as a correspondent remarks at page 75. White Lilies gathered with long stems are njost beautiful in vases mixed with other tall growing plants and long graceful leaves, but their scent is almost too powerful for a room. Excelsum makes a fine crown of cream-coloured flowers half turned back with red stamens. It is a species as easily grown as candidum, and is certainly a great aildition to the Lily garden. The old Orange Lily (L. croceum) seems to be one of the hardiest of the whole tribe, and its bright orange cups, which look straight up at you, are very ertective. Cottagers are very fond of it, and in the north of Ireland it has long been used as Primroses are used at the present day — as a political emblem. It is a fine subject for the back of the herbaceous bor- der, or the middle of a large bed, or among Azaleas and Rhododendrons, but perhaps um- bellatum is still more eflective in the same way. This Lily has looser flowers, but they are even more gorgeous in their colouring than those of croceum. The time of flowering of umbellatum may be prolonged by growing difl'erent varie- ties which do not all open at the same time. It is certainly a most striking plant, and the bulbs are so exceedingly cheap, that anyone can grow this Lily who cares to have it. Another favourite Lily coming a little later than those already mentioned is L. chalcedonicum. Its glossy scarlet petals, so firmly turned back to form the Turk's-cap shape, are extremely beau- tiful. It is generally to be found in old- fashioned gardens where carpet bedding has never intruded itself. Probably in many gar- dens it was ruthlessly thrown away. Its scarce- ness in grand places cannot be owing to any- thing else, for it will take care of itself and flourish and increase if only let alone. It is a late July flower, but belongs to the month. Another very beautiful Lily has passed away before chalcedonicum appears, and that is L. pardalinum. It is somewhat in the style of tigrinum splendens, but more piquant .and prettier in its mode of growth. It has, like other Lilies, to be left alone until it finds itself completely at home, and then if the soil is sufticiently damp with a slight admixture of peat, it will grow away and flower well. Such beautiful flowers are worth a little trouble. L. Martagon seems to be almost an exception to the rule that Lilies must be left undisturbed. Nothing seems to worry it out of its happy life. When once it has got a hold in a border, it will appear and reappear where least expected, and its spikes of puce-coloured flowers will for a short time in July be very pretty and eflective —alas ! it is only for a short time. The flowers soon drop away and perish. I am trying the white Martagon, but have not succeeded with it yet. To this month of July belong also the Del- phiniums, which deserve a place among the most beautiful and striking of our perennials. It is a common remark that blue is not so easily found in flowers as other colours. July, how- ever, is not deficient in that colour, for our beds may well be adorned with plenty of Delphiniums, Cornflowers (Cyanus), and Lobelia speciosa. But of these Delphinium is the most lovely with its tall spikes of bright blue flowers. It is easily grown from see-ui.^uiii atxij .. may have sucked there. Then the big flowers, The Codlin family is more uumerous than which fall after rain, may become heavy and snap many are aware of, but several of the varieties off, otherwise the buds are perfect. These are my are fast dying nut, their places being taken by only facts, but the thought that makes me feel other more serviceable sorts. A few of the uncertain is that there has been cuckoo spit in my^e superior representatives, however, will, other years, but no such loss of flowers. . ^j, f,uaht to be always gruwn, and that, too, in Lathyrus latifolius Turneri as grown here i]^g most limited collections, as it is scarcely is not very different from the type. It may bea conceivable that better early cooking Apples little brighter in the flower colour, also a little larger in the bloom with smaller foliage. It is certainly a more abundant bloomer. My compari- sons are made with strongly established plants in both cases, the plants near together and in similar (the same) aspects and soil. There are slight botanic; I distinctions, but probably these had I'ruitiug branch of Lord Sutlield Apple. little or nothing to do with the plant receiving an additional name, and certainly they are of no moment from the gardener's point of view. For my own part I would grow it in preference to the type because of the comparatively greater number of will ever be forthcoming. The original Codlin, or that which, according to our best authorities, gave the name to the whole family, is now termed the Englisli Codlin, but I\IcIntosh ap- peared to confound this with the Hawthorn Dean, or White Apple of Hawthorn Dean. The latter, it is almost needless to add, is per- tectly distinct from the Codlins, Hawthorndens forming (juite a sepa- rate group. The old English Codlin was prin- cipally propagated by means of cuttings and branches, both of which root readily, and this method of propagation seems tohave been faulty, a vigorous stock being needed to put new life into the worn-out scions. Carlisle Codlin, which Mcintosh erroneously considered as being sy- nonymous with the Kes- wick Codlin, is a decided improvement on the old form, more especially as regards its habit of growth, and this is still to be met with in a few old gardens. It is only fit for garden cul- ture, strong trees never being seen, but medium- sized bushes rarely fail to yield well, this free- bearing habit having muchtodowith thestunt- ing of the trees. The fruit is lit for cooking when quite small, the season lasting from July till December ; conse- quently it is one of the best keeping Codlins, be- ing also second to none in Keswick Codlin, also a very point of quality. old variety, is undoubtedly the most generally grown of all the family, and may well be culti- vated in quite the smallest gardens. It succeeds in almost in any pi isition or district, and is anien- spikes produced on the smaller quantity of heibage. I able to any form of training. As a standard Anemone baldensis, which I believe is a j the tree is comparatively small, though very variable species, and which according to several | productive, but on the Crab stock it makes a very strong bush or basin-shaped tree, and handsome pyramids, fairly strong, horizontally trained tree.s, and cordons are to be met with in all directions, all alike being very productive. Closely pruned trees are unfortunately some- what given to canker, and the trees under my authorities has a very wide geographical range, a most useful flower in the garden. In this col- lection, where some twenty species are grown, it and rivularis are the only two to represent the genus in flower in the months of July and August, and, like rivularis, it begins in May and lasts into August. There is, however, scarcely another point — = ,i i ' v t *,„;*;„„ „„„..■, ^ ■•'-■■• ^ ■ . In charge annually lose a number of fruiting .spurs of similarity; indeed, the two are a contrast, ju , o- ,, ci" ii ,„ a light rich soil and sheltered situation with me in a most unaccountable manner or after they this species is evergreen. In summer the plant have made a leafy growth and perhaps flowered, is peculiarly pleasing from its deep shining green Seeing that iiuito small fruit cook admirably, hue and finely cut and neat growth. The flowers are the thinning out may well commence in July and each 1 J inches across and of good cup form, the en- \)q proceeded with as required till those reserved tire stature of the plant rarely exc^eeding a foot. ^re nearly fully grown, the latter attaining a Woodville, KirhtaU. J. Wood. large size wheii thus favoured. This variety 124 THE GARDEIQ, [AncusT 8, l«yi. keeps fairly well after being gathered, or say till near the end of November, but those who grow for the markets ought to dispose of their crops as early in the season as possi- ble and secure remunerative prices accord- ingly. I have known a pyramid to prcjduce at one time sufficient fruit to realise 30s , this being gathered and sold early in August; if kept two or three weeks later, not more than one-third of that sum would have been obtained for it. Keswick Codlin is a favourite variety for making into jelly, this being done when the Apples are just fit to gather. Mauks Codlin again is a remarkably profitable variety, as witnessed by the fact of its being very exten- sively planted of late years. It is very preco- cious, and small trees ought really to be pre- vented from bearing, or otherwise they may never attain a good size. It succeeds fairly well as an orchard tree, but it is as a garden tree that I can most strongly recommend it, those bush-shaped being most profitable. The growth is altogether distinct from that of the Keswick, the wood being slighter and the foliage smaller and lighter green in colour, while the fruits are smaller, having Ipnger foot- stalks, being also more crisp. Quite small samples cook well, and what fruit is gathered and stored, a proceeding market growers may well avoid, will keep rather longer than the Keswick. Lord Suffield, a fruiting branch of which is here illustrated, is to all intents and purposes a member of the Codlin family, being what might be termed a glorified Keswick. It is of sturdy, yet most prolific habit of growth, forming fairly good standards, and still better pyramids, bushes, horizontal and cordon-trained speci- mens. The fruits are larger and better tilled out than the Keswicks, the cooking qualities and flavour being much the same. Most of the prizes for cooking Apples at the August shows are won by this variety, but as they lose weight by keeping, it is not advisable to store many. Nelson Codlin comes next in point of popu- larity, and no mistake has been or will be made in planting it for both private use and more especially market. It is amenable to any form of training, standard or orchard trees succeed- ing very well. The fruits are large, of good form, and fairly attractive in appearance when ripe, cook admirably, and are not to be despised for dessert. Seeing that it keeps good till the middle of January and occasionally still later, it is advisable to reserve and carefully store the greater part of the crop, and if sold good prices ought to be obtained for it. Spring Grove, one of the older Codlins, is the only variety to be found classed as a dessert Apple, but it is not needed now-a-days, there being so many sorts superior to it in every way. What in fotiner days was termed the Stoup Codlin is now labelled Stoup Leadington, and its cultivation is said to be largely confined to Scotland. Royal Codlin, an October variety, has nothing particular to recommend it, and the same may be said of the early maturing French Codlin. Winter Codlin might well be given a trial, especially as an orchard tree. It is a vigorous grower and fairly productive, the fruit being large, somewhat rough iu outline, and of good conking (juality. The season extends from September to February inclusive. Dean's (Cod- lin also attains a large size, keeping till late in February, but it is not likely to ever become any lietter known than it is at present. W. I. Strawberry notes.— There was an interesting correspondence in last year's Gaudkn on the relative merits of what one may call the annual and perennial systems of Strawberry culture, and opinions seemed fairly evenly balanced, in- clining of the two to favour the annual renewal of beds. The season of 18!U, memorable tor a late cold spring following a severe winter, has not served to determine my opinion in any fixed direction ; it has. however, helped to fix one con- viction already in past seasons clearly shown, viz , that one has to study the likes and dislikes of particular varieties, and that (the names are given as examples) while Noble and La Grosse Sucree are at their best the first year after planting, and deteriorate it allowed to remain longer on the ground, Paxton and Filbert Pine will yield heavier crops of equally good fruit on a given area the second and the third year. I do cot wish to lay down any hard and fast line respecting such results being arrived at on all soils, but such are the facts on my light sandy loam. My plantations of Viscountess and Paxton are always made from old forced plants. These two with Filbert Pine are my most reliable sorts both in and out doors. I see Waterloo is strongly recommended by some growers, but 1 cannot say much in its favour, that is, if I have It true. Mr. Barron's notes in a late number of The Garden lead me to infer this is not the case. Neither liritish Queen nor Dr. Hogg are satisfactory here. It is sometimes suggested that Dr. Hogg will flourish where British Queen fails, but I fancy the requirements of the two varieties are very similar. — E.Bueeell, Claremont. RED AND WHITE CURRANTS AT CHISWICK.* Although denoted one of the small fruits. Cur- rants are yet of great importance and value in the garden, and form one of the most useful of fruits. Much confusion has been found to exist with regard to their distinctive characters and superabundant nomenclature. With a view to remedy this state of things, and to discover some system of classification, the Royal Horti- cultural Society has collected from the various nurseries in this country and in France plants of nearly every variety bearing a distinct name that could be found. These, grown under simi- lar conditions, have been carefully noted for several years, and were examined during the past year (1890) by the fruit committee. It was found impossible from the fruits alone to adopt any classification ; for although vary- ing considerably in the size of the bunches and the berries, and in their colour, &c., these are so much influenced by cultivation, situation, itc, that nothing definite could be arrived at. The following classification is therefore based chiefly on the general appearance of the plants, their foliage, habit of growth, Ac. This is gene- rally very decided antained during the first sea- son, a good succession 1 leing had from the two-year- old plants. The fruit colours well, is very firm, and of a rich and brisk flavour. — M. H. FRUIT-GROWIXG DIFFICULTIES. T(j the inexperienced onlooker gardening generally, and fruit growing under glass in particular, appears to be a very delightful occupation, but those actively engaged in this branch of horticulture have good reason at times to think differently. There is cer- tainly much that is pleasurable in fruit culture, and, unfortunately, much inseparable worry connected with it. Judging from a letter and sample of Grapes sent me by " O. K.," the greater portion of the crop in one vinery is worthless, and all the Vines in a second house will soon be in a similar plight. Ap- parently this is a very bad case of shanking and mildew, two of the worst evils a Grape grower has to contend with. Shanking alone is bad enough, but when this is accompanied by mildew the case is hopeless. Over-cropping is perhaps the most fre- quent cause of shanking, and yet it is a mistake of very common occurrence, very few gardeners (I write feelingly) having sufficient nerve to properly reduce the number of bunches. One year's ex- perience with any set of Vines is scarcely sufticient for a grower to decide what they are capable of doing, so much depending upon the constitution of the borders and more especially the nature of the loam. What might prove a fair average crop in some cases would, perhaps, be altogether too heaN-y in others, a poor finish and probably shanking being the consequence. Debilitated stocks, much skinned stunted stems and rods, very old gnarled spurs, or anything that tends to check a healthy and strong flow and return of sap, all at different times con- tribute to the evil of slianking, and this season I have good reason for adding yet another cause. When the Vines have their roots solely or princi- pally in outside borders, or the inside borders are largely composed of spongy, moisture-holding soil, a heavy deluge of water or rainfall is liable to cause shanking, especially in the case of the Mus- cat of Alexandria. It will thus be seen I cannot well decide what was the actual cause of shankirg in " O. K.'s" case. Mildew, although far from being unknown in vine- ries, is yet, or rather was up to the present season, so seldom met with, that there is some excuse to be offered for those who fail to realise in time what a destructive and hard-to-get-rid-of pest it is. Shanking is bad enough, but unless I am much mistaken, very many Grape growers ,will, after the experience they are having this season, agree with me that mildew is the worse evil of the two. Nor is it possible to determine exactly what brings about an attack of this dreaded fungus. The germs probably enough are carried about in the atmosphere, and if they lodge on any part of the Vines, only require a somewhat stagnant atmo- sphere to develop and spread the disease in all directions, young wood, foliage, and bunches being all liable to be overrun and completely paralysed by it. The worst cases I have seen have been in small badly ventilated houses in which pot plants have been largely cultivated on the stages. I have also recently seen a grand lot of bunches on young Vines of the Muscat of Alexandria just touched by mildew. In the latter case the remedy was ap- plied in good time, or otherwise the whole of the valuable crop would have been over-run, and that, too, in spite of superior treatment generally. My experience with mildew is not so limited as I could have wished at one time, and after trying a variety of remedies, including sponging the leaves with mildew specifics and coating the bunches and berries with flowers of sulphur, I have arrived at the conclusion that nothing short of painting the hot-water pipes with flowers of sulphur mixed up in the form of paint with either milk or linseed oil, as it will not stick if mixed with water, is effective. The pipes being made quite hot after the house is closed, fairly strong fumes are generated, and this repeated a few times seems to effectually check the mildew. Unfortunately, this remedy, if applied while the berries are small and the skins tender, is liable to cause those of the Muscat of Alexandria, Buckland Sweetwater, and Mrs. Pearson to rust badly, the last named being particularly suscep- tible of injury. Nor are Grapes the only fruit to which the in- sidious mildew directs its deadly attention. Bad cases of mildew in Melons in houses have come under my notice for the first time this season, and Peaches and Nectarines are also liable to be over- run and badly injured by it. This may or may not have been the cause of the fruit dropping off wholesale in " 0. K.'s " Peach house ; no samples of fruit forthcoming, I am unable to decide. Noblesse, the variety mentioned, is not one of the most robust either under glass or in the open, being much inferior to Alexandra Noblesse in this respect, but I have never met with a case of a mildewed tree of it under glass. In the open Noblesse and Royal George are both addicted to mildew, and would be the first to be afiected by it under glass. If the fruits have white woolly-looking patches or blisters on them, that most probably is the work of mildew, this disease also overrunning and ruining the points of young shoots. Sulphuring the hot- water pipes is also the best preventive in the case of mildew on either Melons or Peaches. When Peach and Nectarine trees are very heavily cropped and perhaps not fed nearly enough at the roots, nor the borders kept uniformly moist, a wholesale shed- ding of fruit when the final swelling is in progress is no uncommon occurrence, and fruit that drops prematurely is fit for nothing but pies. PEACHES AND TOMATOES AT HAM. Although Mr. Walker is perhaps best known for his Daffodils, and no one grows them better, he has yet something of interest just now in his fine Peach and Tomato houses which have recently been erected on his farm at Ham Common. This locality has of late attracted some popular attention in relation to public re- sistance to what is held to be an infraction of popular rights. Mr. Walker's land adjoins the common, a huge open park-like area of great beauty and value to the residents. That the soil is good is very evident, and much of it on Mr. Walker's farm shows that it is still full of turfy fibre, so that it should suit Peaches and Tomatoes remarkably well. There have been erected at intervals of about 2i1 feet from each other, but in one line, some nine fine span houses, each 180 feet long by 21 feet wide, and all planted with Peach trees. It is obvious, therefore, that Mr. Walker has considerable faitli in the future of Peach pro- duction under glass. Each house had originally the trees planted somewhat thickly on either side, but now they have been reduced to thirteen trees on each side, so that ample room is afforded both in breadtli and height to spread their heads. There are now in the houses 2:^1 of these trained trees, which include all the best known sorts, but as some have not cropped well this season, owing to the harmful effect of fogs at the blooming time, and some which fruited well have already had their fruits gathered, a fair opinion of the merits of each variety was not to be had. Another season, should the spring-time be more favourable, it seems probable that very much better estimates of rela- tive usefulness may be obtained. What seems certain is that the trees like the soil, and that they receive careful culture. Whenever they fill the roofs of the houses fully and are in full bearing, they will present a sight worth going a long w,ay to see. As a matter for criticism, perhaps it may be said that the heating power in the houses hardly seems sufficient to assist the setting of the bloom for such elevated positions early in the spring. A capital opportunity is offered here to test the value of top-heating, with 2-inch pipes elevated to just beneath the trees and at intervals 12G THE GARDEN. [August 8, 1891. of some :! feet or 4 feet apart right down the houses. Were bat one house so heated, a capital test would be afforded as to the relative value of top heating as compared with ground heating, for here the pipes are literally close to the soil, and of coarse the heat is a long way from the bloom. Standing on the floors of five of the houses are great numbers of Peach and Nectarine trees in pots, largely maidens, and all doing well. There must be many hundreds of these, and another year they should carry a grand crop of fruit, should all go well. In the other houses are Tomatoes planted oat in broad beds all down the centres, some five plants wide and now fruiting heavily, at heights varying from r> feet to 7 feet, with ample room to go higher. The most free cropping sorts are Con- ference and Tennis-ball, both bearing abundantly, and Perfection and Chemin, larger fruited, but more thinly set. Tennis-ball bears a close resem- blance to Horsford's Prelude. There will be during the next two months a large quantity of fruit gathered from these plants, and it is hoped it will return a good profit, although the price just now is none too considerable. A few fruits here and there show the black spot or decay, which troubles most Tomato growers ; this the attendant attributes to moisture settling on the bloom, and being aUowed to remain attached to the fruit, first impregnates, as it were, the style and thence it passes into the fruit. How far that hypothesis may be a correct one is a matter for discussion. A. D. have utilised ground in all positions that was va- cant. Firm planting is also necessary, well tread- ing the soil round the roots, and keeping moist, also keeping free of runners, as all the energies of the plant are required to support the second crop. When planting, only remove the drainage, and do not break the ball or disturb the roots. To suc- ceed these another lot is planted out at the end of June on a west border. Any free-fruiting kind that has been forced, such as Keens' Seedling or President, will do, the last lot being planted out in July or early in August. These give a long succession of fruit ; two of the best for the purpose being Sir J. Paxton and Sir C. Napier. G. Wythes. STRAWBERRIES IN AUGUST AND SEPTEMBER. In the northern part of the country no difficulty will be experienced in getting these fruits in August in the open ground, as the late kinds may readily be had in abundance at that date. In many establishments a supply of late fruit is of great value where a certain number of dishes is daily required and these have to be varied. Those who force Strawberries in quantity may pro- long the season to a great extent by saving their forced plants for this purpose, and though this system is known to many, it is not practised to a great extent. I well know it is the practice to plant many forced plants when hardened off in permanent beds, and I have myself followed this practice, but do not now recommend it, as I find I get the finest fruit from runners if they are planted in their permanent quarters as soon as they can be had. Indeed, where this fruit is required in large quantities, I would plant a piece of ground yearly for the production of runners and get them into their permanent quarters in July. They make a good growth and are a long way ahead of runners obtained from plants that have borne a heavy crop of fruit and become exhausted. I find many of our best growers adopt this system, and as runners can be obtained from large growers in such good condition and true to name, they are more valuable than weakly ones produced late and requiring a lot of attention to get them into condition. By utilising early strong runners grown specially for the purpose better results will be obtained than from pot plants which soon become exhausted. Hooted runners are now so reasonable in ])rice that I question if it is not a gain to the grower to secure them from a different locality, as a change is most beneficial. One of the best Strawberries for autumn fruiting is Vicomtesse Iluricart de Thury. La Grosse Sucr6e will also be found useful. If these plants are hardened off and planted at the end of JMay or early in June, they will give a second crop through August, and for this purpose they must be kept moist. A good mulch of spent Mushroom manure placed over the roots after planting suits them. The plants should be well watered in dry weather. These plants it not wanted for permanent beds may be planted rather closely, 18 inches between the rows and the plants l") inches from each other, but, of Cdurse, if left to supply fruit for other sea- sons more room must be given. In planting for autumn fruiting good ground is necessary, and for late fruits an open sunny border sloping to the south, but for fruit in August and September J UNTIMELY THINNING OF FRUIT CROPS. It has become the fashion to advocate the very early thinning of fruit crops, and possibly the practice may be of some slight value with fruits under glass where temperature and atmospheric moisture, cbc, are under control, but the ad- vantages to be derived are so very small, if, in- deed, they are not altogether mythical, when compared to the risk run of losing the whole crop of some kinds of outdoor fruits, that this early thinning should be done, if doneat all, with the utmost caution. Those who were unlucky enough to have carried out this practice to any extent with outdoor crops this year before the very severe weather of AVhit Sunday will have had cause to regret their haste, unless they hap- pened to escape the sharp frosts so general at that time. Fruit and foliage in the early stages of growth are not dependent on the root action of the present, year, but grow and swell by the aid of the sap stored during the previous autumn. This will be very clear to anyone who has ever met with the misfortune of having fruit trees barked by rabbits or ground game during the winter, for even if the case be so bad that death to the trees is inevitable, yet they flower and set fruit, which swells to a cer- tain stage without the least sign of suffering, and then comes the transitory stage, when new roots are forming freely and the stored-up sap is exhausted. Any check to these new roots is sure to be injurious to the trees, and disbud- ding or fruit-thinning, when too soon indulged in, must give them such a check, and if at the same time a wave of cold sets in, as not unfre- quently happens in May, nothing but harm can ensue, for the removal of fruit or slioot is no- thing short of taking away the lungs of the tree. Undoubtedly the roots of most trees are always in a more or less active state, or never abso lutely dormant ; still, it requires some amount of warm sunny weather to bring them into full vigour, and until this occurs no good can come of trying to force a portion of the crop into greater size by taking away the rest. As a general rule, no good can come of thinning hardy fruits out of doors until June is with ua, and I think only one exception, that of Apricots, should be made to this. These latter, being almost invariably grown on walls and making plenty of foliage quite early, may be dealt witli sooner than other fruits. Still, oven with these there is but little need to be hasty, experience teaching that there is no great strain put on .stone fruits until they reach the stoning stage, and that all growth of fruit an > o I — I o > 1—4 r I Adgust 8, 1891.1 THE GARDEN 127 Mock Oranges, and oilier popular shrubs. Some of the named sirrts of Cydouia are niurh alike, tliough all are lieautiful, but in a iirivate garden one would cmly e;ue to have the most distinct, and half-a-dozen nf the finest would include the following,', which are nivalis, tlie best white, flowers large and pure, without a trace of colour ; albo-cincta, tinted with deli- cate pink ; cocoinea, bright scarlet ; prince])s, brilliant crimson ; Moerloosei, crimson-scarlet, a very fine variety ; rosea, a delicate rose-pink, and cardinalis, a deep purplish crimson. These are all readily obtainable, and the finest of their respective tints ; though a new variety, just come into notici>, which eclipses all for brilliancy, is that known as Knap Hill Scarlet, a sort to be seen in Mr. A\'aterer's nursery at Knap Hill. This, I believe, has not yet been sent out, but it will undoubtedly be a welcome addition to the list. Those who wish for a longer list of sorts may include the sorts named ; carnea, flesh-pink colour ; eximia, crimson ; snlphurea, yellowish white ; atro- sanguinea, dark crimson ; atropurpurea, a purplish crimson ; Simoni, crimson, and the so-called double sorts, though in none of these are the flowers very double. Their names are alba semi-plena, grandiflora plena, rosea plena, atrosanguinea plena and others. Here then is a list that will satisfy every- one, a wealth of beauty in one shrub alone, such as our grandfathc^rs would have thought impossible to obtain in so short a time. CtdoniA Maulbi, or, as it is often called, Pyrus Maulei, is by some considered only a variety of C. japonica, but in the garden it is as convenient to con- sider it distinct from the other species as it is de- sirable to call the Quinces by the generic name Cydonia, as they are obviously different from the multitude of other Pyruses. .Maule's. Quince made quite a sensation when it lirst came into notice about twenty years ago. It was obtained from Japan by Jlessr.''. Jlaule, of Bristol, through Captain Aloock's Japanese expedition, and was one of the most remarkable novelties exhibited at the pro- vincial show of the Royal Horticultural Society at Bath in 1873. As it fruits freely and produces abundance of seed, it was rapidly distributed throughout the length and breadth of the country, till now it is almost as common as C. japonica, from which it differs by its smaller growth, smaller foli- age, spiny branches, smaller flowers, and also in the fruit, which is more deeply grooved, turns to a bright golden yellow with ruddy cheeks, and most powerfully and agraeably perfumed. Up to the present Maule's Quince h.as shown but little ten- dency to vary, notwithstanding the thousands and perhaps millions of seedlings that have been raised of it. The only variety known to me is that named Buperba, which was presented lately to the Kew collection by Jl. Max Leichtlin, of Baden-Baden. The flowers of this have a deeper and richer colour than those of the type, which are usually of a bright orange-scarlet, slightly varying, of course, in tone, as in the case of most plants. It is a very beauti- ful shrub, and from the abundance of its flowers and their striking colour is always a fine object in the garden in early May. Again, in August and September, when laden with numerous large and highly coloured Apple-like fruits, it is very orna- mental. At one time it was thought that we should eventually find in its fruits an addition to our dessert, but it is not so, for even a schoolboy would draw the line at a Japanese (Juince, so astringent and juiceless is it. A palatable preserve can. how- ever, be made from it, and Japanese Quince jelly is good. As a garden shrub Maule's Quince is invalu- able, and there is no well planted garden without it. It grows almost anywhere and in any soil, and it is hardy beyond a doubt, its flowars generally escaping the late frosts. Cydonia. sinensis is the third eastern Quince we have in our ganlens, but it is perhaps the least known, probably bee luse it is not so hardy or so showy in flower ; consequently it is not, as a rule, grown in nurseries for sale, and one rarely sees it except as a wall shrub in old gardens. Yet it possesses a beauty quite peculiar to itself. In early spring against a sunny wall its flower-buds are of a deep rich crimson, and when the blossoms open they retain the same colour outside, but are white or pale pink inside -a lovely harmony of colour. The flowers are longer, the petals broader and more shell-like than those of C. japonica, but they are not so plentiful, and it does not continue to bloom throughout the season in the way the Japanese Quince does. It bears large green fruits, which, like those of the others, are uneatable. The fourth species of Cydonia is the common garden Quince, a native of Europe, which, though chiefly grown for its fruits, is, nevertheless, a beautiful ornamental tree for a lawn, especially when it is old. In spring it bears its large blush- pink flowers, and in autumn it is again attractive with its large golden fruits. The Pear-shaped variety is the most ornamental, and would always add beauty to a lawn. Little need be .said of the culture of these eastern Quinces, as they are the sturdiest of growers in any ordinary garden soil. What they like best is a deep moist loam, provided it is not waterlogged. They do not flourish well on dry, sandy, gravelly or heath soils, but they do well on chalk, though their foliage often becomes yellowish in dry sea- sons on such a soil. They must all have an open sunny spot, otherwise they will not flower well. Though C. japonica and Maulei are often planted against walls, there is no reason why they should be, except that against a sunny wall they are induced to flower early, and I have seen C. japonica in bloom in Fel> ruary before the leaves appear, and then it is very showy and most welcome. Grown against walls they should be pruned as fruit trees so as to obtain as much flower, wood, antl spurs as possible. It is as bushes on the open hnvn that the t\),uincos are of such value as garden shrubs, for then one sees their full growth and they flower more or less plentifully from early spring to autumn. An isolated mass of three or four kinds, say the white, crimson, rose, and scarlet, in a bed about 12 feet across will in a few seasons make a grand and most eli'ective mass and will look well all the year. I have seen enormous siiecimens of single plants in good deep soil, and I remember some years ago a bush at Wimbledon House which measured nearly 20 feet through and 10 feet high. The small C. Maulei looks well with the C. japonica if planted at the margin, lint a group of it alone is also eli'ective, and if not planted too thickly, some of the strong growing Lilies can be planted amongst them to give brightness to the mass during summer. The .Japanese Quince is not often seen as a standard, but trained to a single stem .about a fec^t high, its branches droop in a most graceful way and look well in the cen- tre of a mass of dwarf shrubs. For orna- mental hedges bolh C. japonica and C. jNIaulei have long been used, and very fine they are, being cllective as an impervious hedge and bright with bloom in s]iring. The finest C. Maulei licdgc I know is in Mr. Stevens' garden at Byfleet, [ilanted a dozen years ago, and was when I saw it last as thick as a Quick hedge and flowered and fruited abundantly. Some gardeners find them of great value for forcing into flower early in pots, but they really only need a shelter under glass to get them into flower in the early weeks of the year. The propagation of the (.j)uinces does not often concern amateur gardeners, Init I shcjuld always advise the raising of seedlings with a view to obtaining now sorts, and perhaps some good results might be obtained by intercrossing C. japonica, C. Maulei, or C. sinensis, or even the allied species of Pyrus. The seedlings, if not better than the parents, can always be used for hedges or the shrubbery. AV. GOLDBING. THE WEEK'S WORK. PLANT HOUSES. Stove. — TEMPEEiTURES, &.C., and fieing.— There need not be any material alteration in the tempera- tures, as previously advised. Of the two, a slight advance will not be at all amiss in the case of a young stock of plants which it is desired to grow on as quickly as possible whilst the days are of good length and all other natural accessories favourable to the development of rapid growth. This is of course best accomplished when a house can be devoted to young plants exclusively. Under favourable conditions it is then somewhat astonish- ing what rapid advances a clean and healthy stock of young plants will make. Such a stock should soon supplant older plants which in their time may have done a good turn, but the growth of which, one cannot fail oftentimes to see, is not what it used to be. It is a folly to occupy valuable space with plants which are not either as orna- mental or as useful as they should be ; far better dispense with them entirely when and where a a young stock is being worked up. The working up of a young stock can be furthered considerably by growing them in a higher temperature after they leave the propagating pit until they are of useful size. With the height of summer weather it will now be possible to ventilate an ordinary stove a little more freely. This will do the plantf , on the whole, a deal of good where they consist chiefly of flowering subjects which happen to be in flower. When such predominate the atmosphere of the house may be kept a trifle drier, particularly it tor a time no fire heat is being maintained. It is a mistake to dispense with fire heat entirely for weeks together. I do not mind seeing the fire out for a night or two when the thermometer rules unusually high, but it ought not to be con- tinued, otherwise there will soon be an over-accu- mulation of moisture not easily dispersed. Stove plants revel in a moist atmosphere, as a whole, but not in an excess with the temperature low in the morning, as it often is when no fire heat is kept u]-. Where it is expedient to dispense with tire he.it foi some weeks together the syringe should not be used so freely, particularly late in the day. Whenever the temperature will admit of it, a little top air left on all night, or at any rate during the evening, will be an advantage. During dull days even a little air will be necessary, even if the temperature is not much above the night standard, particularly during the morning. The blinds, where these are had for shading, should not be used quite so freely as earlier in the season ; the foliage will in most instances be by this time fairly hardened. .Shading, if applied too freely, is detrimental rather than otherwise at any time, but more so as the season progresses, when it will favour a weakly growth. In.SECTS and plant eLKANSING, kc.—lt not receatly gone over for a good cleansing, no time skifHild be lost in seeing tOjifrf. If a thorough turn 128 THE GATIDEN [August S, 1891. be given the plants now it will take some con- siderable time for the mealy bug, scale and other plant pests to get over it. Wherever these plant parasites abound every effort should be made to exterminate them if possible, or at any rate to so keep them under as not to cause much trouble. They all increase during the summer season to an alarming extent if left to themselves, but whilst many of them are in earlier stages of development they are more susceptible to insecticides. No op- portunity should be lost of sponging the foliage where practicable of all ornamental-leaved plants. This will not only improve their appearance but it will often remove any thrips or red spider not so easily touched by other means when located upon the under sides of leaves. Dracienas, Crotons, and small Palms will all be benefited in this way. A sharp watch should also be kept for any appearance of the white spider upon the points of Crotons, which, as before described, causes the leaves to drop until the points are completely denuded of even the smallest leaf. If the case is not a bad one, tobacco powder will be effective, but I much prefer water strongly impregnated with soot in the way previously advised ; this I have never known to fail where it has been persistently used. Whilst a house of plants is being gone through for cleaning, no opportunity should be lost to clean the glass and woodwork. In the case of the glass it is beneficial to the plants themselves, whilst in that of the woodwork it assists in preserving both the paint and the wood itself. The plants themselves should also be re-arranged in a different manner so as to give additional interest by bringing others into more prominent notice. This will also be of benefit to the plants, assisting in keeping them more sym- metrical as well as bringing parts to the light with more advantage. Where Caladiums are grown in any quantity, some of the older leaves will by this time be getting somewhat shabby as well as taking up a considerable amount of room. The worst of these leaves had better be removed even it not yet turning yellow, so as to afford more room. The cleaning of Caladium leaves by sponging does not pay; they are very susceptible to injury; by sponging also the lustrous appearance is oftentimes quite destroyed. Climbers at such times where they are not accessible to sponging, or where that work would take too much time, should have a thorough good cleansing by using the garden engine. A solution of paraffin oil insecticide is most effectual where there are no flowers to injure in its application. If the case were a bad one I would not even hesitate to use it then ; better spoil them thus than let it be done by insects. The growth of climbers should at such times be partially thinned out where it is extra dense. Plants now in flower —Of plants now in flower, or which may easily be had in that condi- tion, nothing will surpass well-grown examples of Ixoras or Dipladenias. The latter greatly enhance the appearance of a sto\e house when trained freely upon the roof, which position I have found most congenial to them. The colours of the highly coloured varieties are in such a position consider- ably intensified, whilst the lasting properties are considerably better in all cases if the blooms are required in a cut state. For the latter purpose D. boliviensis is one of the best, if not the very best, of all to grow. The supply of flowers which can be obtained from a vigorous plant from April up to November is something enormous. As each flower can be taken with a fairly good stem, it is extremely useful in many ways. This variety is not so liable to attacks of insects as the others, and even when it is, the cleansing is an easier matter, by reason of its glossy green foliage. It is a rapid grower when well cared for, but flowers best when trained near the glass. The Ixoras, where they were started into growth in the spring, after having been lightly pruned, will now he either in flower or coming on to that stage. The utility of these fine flowering plants is beyond dispute, yet they do not receive that attention which their merits deserve. Whether they are considered merely as ornaments to the house or for using in a cut state they are equally valuable. It pays, therefore, to further their culti- vation, which is not at all a difficult matter. With liberal treatment they grow freely enough and flower equally as well. Plants in small pots can be had with several trusses upon them. .Just now I have I. Prince of Orange, I. Fraseri, I. Westi, and others in flower, making a good display. Mealy bug is their greatest enemy where it is permitted to exist amongst them. When growing freely they will take a liberal supply of water if not plunged ; then it has to be done more cautiously. As a con- trast to this, the Dipladenias I have found to do well when watered but sparingly ; once overdose the latter with water, even at this season, and its effects will soon be apparent. Allamandas, where they are flowering well and continuously, will take almost an unlimited supply of water, with frequent doses of liquid manure. These wDl flower best when kept near the glass, and that without any shading whatever. The shoots then are very sturdy and short-jointed, each succeeding one soon setting for flower. The back wall of a Pine stove suits them admirably. They have no objection to being almost roasted when kept well watered. Ronde- letias now showing for flower, where stopped as advised, will also require more water. Although these are very fibrous- rooted plants, they root freely and take a liberal supply. The same remarks apply to Clerodendron fallax, Thunbergia laurifolia, and other varieties, also to the Vincas. These will all be greatly assisted by weak liquid manure at fre- quent intervals. J. Hudson. HARDY FRUITS. Main-cbop Steawberbibs. — The season has been very favourable to the production of strong runners, and in many instances a capital lot of well-rooted young plants is available without any trouble being taken in layering. Those lifted carefully with a trowel and properly replanted not unfrequently take more readily to their fresh quarters than do plants layered into either small pots or turves, the balls in this case being the least likely to become injuriously dry, the roots also being more interspersed with the fibre forming fresh soil. In wh.atever way the plants are obtained, no time should be lost in getting them finally planted out. Even those with few roots and no ball of soil will soon commence active growth if kept properly supplied with moisture. The best position for the mid-season, or what is usually the principal crop is the centre of the garden, and preferably on the level, or where the plants can be most eit'ectively watered when necessary. This ought long since to have been prepared, bastard trenching being advisable in many cases, a moderate amount of good solid manure being dug in deeply in all others, and the ground cropped with early Potatoes. These being quite ready for clearing off and storing, fork over and level the ground as the work of lifting goes on, taking good care to thoroughly fine down all lumps before they have a chance to get dry and hard. There is quite an unlimited selection of main-crop varieties, though apparently there arelfewto surpass President, Sir .1. Paxton and Sir C. Napier. On no account should any of these be crowded, or they will fail badly in wet weather. The rows on good ground ought to be not less than 30 inches apart, and a distance of not less than 18 inches asunder in the rows, 2 feet being none too much for Sir Joseph. If this space cannot well be atlorded at the outset, then plant in groups of three, cutting out two of the three after they have fruited once. Another commendable practice consists in growing a row of salading or autumn-sown Onions in each space between the row of Strawberries, there lieing then no wasted ground, and no injury need accrue to the Strawberries. Late Straw beuuies. — This season especially the supplies of late fruit have been even more appreciated than any gathered earlier in the season, the hot weather in July creating a great demand for cooling Strawberries. .Some of the later varieties, including British Queen, Dr. Hogg, Eleanor, Latest of All, and any reputed late variety, might with advantage be planted .alongside the main-crop sorts, but the attempt should also be made to keep up the supply still longer. Good positions for the very latest are wide wall borders with a northern aspect, those facing north-east answering well, though the latest supplies can be drawn from a north border. In such cool positions the plants are apt to grow very strongly, and ought not to be fruiteil more than twice before they are rooted out. Loxford Hall Seedling succeeds well in and seems to require a cool site, but for planting close up to a very cool wall, Sir J. Paxton is one of the best that can be tried, good sized, richly coloured and fairly sweet fruit being had from the latter variety up to the second week in August. In each and every case, or wherever planted, the plants should have a very firm root run, looseness being conducive to a leafy rather than a fruitful growth, and they ought also to be well fixed at the outset. They should be watered frequently in dry weather, and if all runners are kept pinched off, the ground about them also being occasionally surface dressed, in order to keep down weeds and check a too rapid loss of moisture, fine plants will result. Old Strawberry beds. — The length of time Strawberry plants can be profitably left on the ground varies considerably, or according to the nature of the soil and the method of culture adopted. Very seldom does it pay to fruit them more than four times, three crops being perhaps nearer the average, 'i'he proper course, therefore, is to clear off old plants no longer capable of pro- ducing heavy crops of superior fruit, a pro- portionate number of young plants being put out every season, beds of different ages being therefore always on the place. These newly-cleared beds are capital sites for winter Broccoli, no digging being resorted to. Plants to be preser\ed for cropping next season ought, as soon as possible, to be cleared of all old leaves, ranners, and rubbish ; but it is very unwise to adopt the barbarous prac- tice of cutting them cleanly over. Leave sufficient of the more decayed mulching material on the ground to prevent loss of moisture and cracking of the soil, and the plants, thus favoured at the roots, will form strong crowns and bear well next season. If a considerable number of the runners are pre- served, and dibbled out about 5 inches apart each way in nursery beds, and kept watered till well established, a capital lot of strong plants will be a\ ailable for either potting up or permanent plant- ing next spring. Any old plants in the open that were previously fruited in pots require to be kept well supplied with moisture at the roots, as should the old balls of soil and roots once become very very dry, very poor progress will be made. Well looked after, they will produce exceptionally heavy crops during the season following upon planting, but are rarely worth retaining after. Jargonelle Pears. — There are good crops of this very delicious Pear on most of the wall trees, and every effort should be made to prolong the season as long as possible. A natural succession can be had by planting trees in different sites, but much may also be done with one large tree, more, however, by artificial ripening than by any other plan, the fruit keeping very badly after it is ripe. In southern localities the fruit should be forward enough about t he first week in August to commence gathering, it not always being advisable, when fruit is plentiful, to wait till the seeds are changing c jlour. Put a few at a time in a close unscented box, and place either in a warm kitchen or in a forcing house, this forwarding them considerably more at the expense of size than quality. This Pear is \ery decei\ing in appearance, as it may be ripe and rotten at the core before those culti\at- ing it are aw.ire it is fit for use. Also, what may be sound one day may be completely " gone " by the next, a failing exhibitors appreciate only too well. Caterpillars on eruit bushes. — During the early part of the season there were comparatively few complaints of caterpillars, but the second brood has been, and still is. unusually numerous and destructive, not a leaf being left on the tioose- berries and Currants in many gardens. In all such cases it is quite useless to leave the fruit on the bushes, as it will deteriorate rather than improve in quality. They ought to be cleared, and strong August 8, 1891.] THE GARDEN. 1-29 measures taken to destroy the caterpillars, or other- wise they will be still more nnmerons next season. There need now be no hesitation about using any of the poisonous remedies, including Hellebore powder and Paris and Biunswick Green. The former may either be dusted over the bushes when damp, or applied in the form of a solution, one ounce going to the gallon of water. Paris Green, being a strong arsenical poison, should be applied more sparingly, one ounce to '.> gallons of water being sufficient. If either of these powders is first beat up with a little water into a paste, it can be more readily mixed with the larger quantities of water. Thoroughly wet e\ ery part of the bushes. Fir tree oil, petroleum mixtures, or any other strong insecticides, including water heated to about 120'-', are all effective against caterpillars. W.I. ORCHIDS. Allusion has been made to the great value of the more recently introduced Cattleyas for flowering during the months of July, August and September. These months are not yet, and perhaps may never be so well represented with flowering Orchids as May and June ; but the se who are expected to have as good a display as possible during these months of shortening days should obtain species and varie- ties that may be expected to flower at that time as their natural season. The East Indian house may be furnished with Aeiides, such as A. quinque- vulnerum, a handsome and brightly-coloured species, which has been in cultivation since 1837, but is even now far from being plentiful. The spikes are not usually branched, but of medium length and arched gracefully. A. suaviisimum is of equal importance, and also requires the temperature of the warmest house. It ought now to be in flower, as this is its natural period. A. nobile, figured in Warner's " Select Orchidaceous Plants," is merely a synonym of this species ; the variety Ballantinea- mum is quite distinct from the type. This fine Aerides was imported by Messrs. Sander, of St. Albans, and the variation amongst the imported plants is considerable, no two of them being alike ; it is a great gain to the A. suavissimum group. A. Rohanianum is another introduction of Messrs. Sander, and both of them were given specific rank by Dr. Reichenbach ; but are none the less valuable if more recent research has placed them as geo- graphical forms of A. suavissimum, and has given this species an importance it did not previously possess. A. affine usually flowers at this period, and is a well-known species to old Orchid cultivators. It is well to add that Messrs. Veitch in their recent issue of " The Manual of Orchidaceous Plants" (1 8?]) describe A. affine under the name of A.multiflorum, and A. Godefroyanum, A. Lobbi, and A. Veitchi as well-marked varieties of it. A. roseum does not differ materially from the type form. We have in the above a group of Orchids of great value as decorative plants at the present season. They are generally supposed to be difficult to keep in good condition for a lengthened period, but grown in the warmest house in pots near the roof glass on the shady side and kept clean, there is no difficulty with any of them. If there is any difficulty it would be to obtain healthy, clean plants to start with, but, given a good start and the temperature of the East Indian house, they will succeed admirably in a depth of 2 inches or 3 inches of live Sphagnum Moss over clean drainage loosely placed. They must not be syringed over- head, and seldom sutTer from insect pests except yellow thrips. Sometimes the leaves are injured by "spot," but this, which is a fungoid growth, was more common in the old- fashioned dark, damp Orchid houses than it is now. If it appears on the leaves, it may be put down as being caused by an over-damp, close atmosphere. A drier atmosphere with a free cir- culation of air will arrest its progress, or, what is better, prevent its appearance. All that the plants need is to keep the Sphagnum Moss in a healthy growing state, and the roots, which usually push out from the stem above it and do not seem inclined to enter amongst the Sphagnum at all. should be left to their own course, as these ai-iial roots seem to derive more nourishment from the atmosphere than those out of sight do from the Sphagnum or drainage. The really handsome Cattleya superba succeeds well in this house, but will not do for long as a pot plant. Each plant should be fastened on a block of Tree Fern about a foot in length and suspended from the roof glass ; watered daily and kept free from yellow thrips, it makes good growth and flowers freely every year. The roots penetrate the Fern stems through and through, and the plants will remain there year after year, and derive all their sus- tenance from the bare stems ; but whenever they are in full growth the outer surface of the Fern stems should be kept constantly in a moist con- dition. The occupants of the warmest house are as a rule making their growth, and require a high temperature and moist atmosphere to pro- mote perfect development. The shading, necessary in the hottest part of the day, should be rolled up early in the afternoon, so that the temperature may raise to its highest point by sun heat. The plants in bloom would be better placed in a house with a drier atmosphere and lower temperature until the flowering jisriod is over. The flowers would last longer in good condition, and the plants suffer no injury for the short period they were in bloom. Other occupants of the warm house making their growth do not require any attention other than merely to see that they do not receive any check to their growth from the changes in the atmospherical conditions of our climate. For instance, as I write these lines it is quite chilly after a cloudy day, with occasional heavy showers. The day previous was close and sultry, with an almost cloudless sky ; under such conditions the cultivator must be on the alert, and take care that artificial heat is used to supplement the little sunshine, or perhaps no sunshine, of certain cold days and subsequent colder nights. The minimum temperature at this season should be li5° to 70°, with a maximum of about 20° more by sun heat. The Moth Orchids (PljaUenopsis) must not be exposed to the rays of the sun at any time. The plants succeed best on the shady side of the house, but they can be grown in a lean-to house with a south aspect, as witness the superb examples grown in such a house in the late Mr. Partington's garden at Cheshunt. Mats were used in addition to the ordinary shading whenever the weather was hot with much sunshine. I'he plants of Vanda teres have now passed out of bloom, and they have been placed in the warmest house we have, where Dendrobiums are making their growth. The Vandas are placed in the lightest part of the house, where they receive the full benefit of the after- noon sun. They are well syringed when the house is shut up early in the afternoon, and the tempera- ture may rise sometimes to 100° or more, with benefit to the Dendrobiums as well as the Vandas. The lovely Vanda Hookeriana succeeds well under the same treatment as Vanda teres, but it is a more slender growing and less vigorous species. J. Douglas. THE KITCHEN GARDEN. Autumn - sown Onions. — The best season for sowing autumn-sown Onions depends principally upon the district, but as a rule too early sowing is carried out especially in the more southern parts. This probably was the reason why there were so many complaints during the past spring of whole breadths being killed otT. Hereabouts where early sowing was not practised the plants were as good as in ordinary winters. For drawing as young Onions during the winter, a sowing may well be made now of Early White Naples ; this is of quick growth and also mild in flavour. In colder districts the early part of August is a suitable time for sowing, and for the southern parts from the middle until about the 2.'Jth. Even in the later districts a small additional sowing may well be made at this latter date as a batch to fall back upon for transplant- ing. The Tripoli section with White Lisbon and (iiant Rocca are the varieties principally used for autumn sowing. Danvers' Yellow and White Spanish may also be sown on well-drained and firm land. An open sunny spot should be selected for the seed bed, and this is very essential if a crop is to mature where they stand, as indeed it is the same for those transplanted. A dressing of soot or wood ashes, or even both together, should be worked into the surface previous to sowing, the plot having been dug and manured beforehand. As in the case of spring-sown Onions, the ground must be first trodden over and the seed sown thinly in shallow drills. The after attention will consist of surface-hoeing to keep down weeds. Harvesting autumn-sown Onions. — Autumn- sown Onions of last season's growth are now coming to maturity, or rather those left over which have been drawn from during the summer. If any, however, are still in vigorous growth, the stems should be bent over so as to hasten the ripening. Immediately the bulbs are ready for drawing, there is nothing to gain by allowing them to remain longer, for if such should be the case they will immediately start into growth again; consequently the keeping qualities and the commercial value are greatly lessened. The bulbs having been pulled, may, if there are no signs of rain, remain where they are to ripen, but their keeping properties are considerably improved by removing to a dry or airy shed, or, what is better, a temporary stage erected in a vinery or Peach house cleared of fruit, and which is now freely ventilated. Ripened in this manner the Onions may be stored away in a dry loft, where they will keep sound and good for a long time. Young Caeeots foe winter. — Y'oung Carrots during the winter months are always very accept- able, and in establishments where a regular supply has to be maintained the seeds must now be sown where they can be protected later on in the season when cold rains or frosts are imminent. Sowing in the open is not a wise course to adopt, for even when covered over with litter as a protection from frost, they are likely to become very much grub- eaten, the quality, therefore, being considerably lessened. A two or three-light frame over an old hotbed is as good a position as could be chosen, not that any heat is necessary or even wise. A depth of 5 inches or (J inches of sandy soil will be sufficient. The seeds should be sown thinly in drills, selecting either the French Forcing or Nantes Horn. As previously stated, no covering will be needed until the approach of bad weather, as free exposure is necessary to ensure a satisfactory growth. Savoys and Colbwoets. — These always come in acceptable, and where a plentiful supply of young plants is forthcoming, there should soon be ample space at disposal to plant them out in quantity, thereby providing as much as possible for a supply during the winter months. The dearth of winter greens which was prevalent last season generally makes it all the more desirable that this should be guarded against as much as possible by planting the hardiest kinds. Late planted Savoys will withstand a deal more frost than those planted earlier in the season. A. Y. A. A BURMESE GARDEN. One of the purest and most satisfying pleasures of the Anglo-Indian is gardening. It is a joy with which no stranger intermeddles, and one which for years has been to myself the chief set-off against the discomforts of life in the far East. I may be excused, therefore, for a fancy that readers of the Field may like to know what a flower garden in ISurmah looks like in the month of March. I think a good many people would open their eyes if they could see the beauty of my Rangoon garden at this season, when it is a blaze of brilliant colour and fresh foliage ; when, if the Grass is not at its greenest, eveiy tree is a mass of fresh young leaves bursting out to hide their old dusty predecessors ; the flowering trees and shrubs are thick with blossom ; the flower beds are ablaze with English annuals ; and in the cool shade of the verandahs, and above all in the Bamboo plant house, is a luxuriant wealth of more delicate flowers and foliage. Ferns, Palms, Orchids, and Lilies, Begonias 130 THE GARDEN [August 8, 1891. and climbing plants, to say nothing of old English favourites, Roses and Geraniums, Violets and |Sweet Brier and Mignonette. Two acres is the full extent of my compound, of which the greater part is devoted to garden. On the two sides skirted by public roads it is enclosed by a thick Bamboo hedge close-clipped and impenetrable as a wall. Along one side runs an equally dense hedge of Hibiscus, cherished in your English hothouse as a rarity, but here as hardy and abundant as Privet in England, and on the fourth, adjoining my neighboui's garden, a carefully grown and lovely hedge of waxen-flowered Ixora. If you drive past the house along the mall, the popular evening promenade, you may suspect that it ia the retreat of a gardener, as you catch sight, over the hedge, of the spreading masses of Bougain- viUea.like giant Rhododendron bushes, and here and there flashes of scarlet Poinsettia in relief against the dark foliage. But turn in some morning while the dew is still on the Grass and walk round the garden with me, and the sun will be hot enough to drive us indoors before you have exhausted the beauties of my snuggery. As you enter the gates yon will find each side of the drive flanked by well- kept turf, with here and there trim walks winding among the shrubberies and tempting you to turn aside and explore the recesses of the garden. On the left, following the curve of the carriage drive, there rises from the turf a line of graceful and vigorous young Mahogany trees — they were like walking-sticks when I planted them six years ago, now they are 20 feet high. From the Grass under their shade spring clusters of Orange Lilies ; at intervals there is a choice shrub of Croton, and as we near the house the porch is screened by a tangle of sweet-scented Nyctanthes, Laurustinus, Poinsettia.Combretum, and Dracsenas. On the right of the drive as we enter, and in front of the Ixora hedge, stands a magnificent bush of AUamanda in almost perennial bloom ; in the near distance is a graceful tree of Grevillea robusta, beyond which the stables are hidden by a big Jack tree, its roots covered witha profusionof Ferns and Lyoopodiums and by the long purple branches of a Bougainvillea. Passing the turn to the stables, at the corner of which stands a finely-grown specimen of the Sago Falm.we come upon the choicest bit of the garden. This is the lawn, bounded on one side by the car- riage drive, on another by the east front of the house, near which it is overshadowed on a third by a gigantic Mango tree, now covered with sweet- scented blossoms, whose shade keeps the neighbour- ing plant house cool for most of the day. On the fourth side the lawn loses itself among a variety of shrubs of picked varieties. The surface of the lawn is broken by a central cluster of flower-beds. At this season a mosaic of bright colour with Petunias, Phloxes, Dianthuses, and above all Portulacas, to be compared only to a stained glass window, while here and there at a bend or corner where space is found for a stray patch of annuals, we are confronted by our old friend the Tom Thumb Nasturtium or a bed of Zinnias as large and almost as perfect as double Dahlias. But perhaps the chief glory of the lawn lies in the glowing colour and rich burnished foliage of tlie Crotons, now grown in such endless variety and bearing so wonderfully the extremes of heat, and wet, and drought. Tlie rapid propaga- tion and extension of these lovely shrubs, and the perfection to which their cultivation lias been brought, have of late years transformed tlie whole aspect of many an Indian station, and of none more conspicuously than the cantonment of Rangoon. Alternating with bushes of Ixora, clumps of tall .Jungle Grasses, with Palm and Cycas and Mar^chal Niel Roses, the ricliness and varied beauty of their glossy leaves furnish the most striking ornament of the Indian garden of to-day. Drawing nearer now to the house, we find every corner of space under the eaves and window-sills, and round the columns supporting the entrance porch, oroupied by light trellis steps, lined with tier upon tier of plants in pots. The pot garden is in many cases all that the Anglo-Indian can indulge in, and a rich indulgence the lovi i of plants can make il. Here you can vary and regulate from day to day and hour to hour the limits of sunshine and rain ; and whereas it is only in the morning and evening that you can linger in the open garden, here you can watch and tend all day long yonr chosen favourites, coax into vigorous growth your tenderest seedlings, and guard your rarest specimens from the hosts of insect enemies that for ever invade and lay siege to the treasures of an Eastern garden. Here the exquisite Eucharis Lily bursts at intervals into fragrant flower, needing no care beyond exclu- sion from the scorching sun ; here Begonias of every lovely form and colour respond at a touch to your watchful care, and Roses, Geraniums and Chrysan- themums mingle with beautiful foliaged plants — Aralia, Piper, Fittonia, and Lycopodium. But if porch and eaves and verandah are the retreat of many favourites, to find the hiding place of the rarest and richest treasures we must pass into the green twiliglit of the plant house, a lightly-built structure of Bamboo trellis ; the roof and sides are so made as to admit all day gleams of sunlight, softened and subdued by passage through a loosely- thrown thatch, or network of creepers overhead, so that the efi'ect is that of a forest glade in mid- summer. Laid out like a miniature landscape garden, the centre of the conservatory is occupied by two islands of rockwork, where, under the drip- ping shade of Tree Ferns, the cool cavities are filled with rare Begonias and rock plants of many varieties. The toy footpaths are bordered with Alternanthera and Selaginella, and following the lines of the trellis walls and irregular recesses there riserank above rank masses of the chosen beauties of flower and foliage, while each wall is covered by some creeper adapted to its special aspect, and from the roof are pendent Orchids, Ferns and trailers in unstudied pro- fusion. Such in faint outline are some of the surface beauties of my hot-weather garden. But the charm of the Indian garden is that it is never empty, as your English gardens are, for months at a time. And so, if you visit us a few months hence, we can promise you no less rich a feast of beauty and of a hundred new varieties. It is then, when the earth has been made soft and workable by the torrents of the south-west monsoon, that the gar- dener is at work the livelong day. Then is the time for turf-laying and transplanting, grafting, layering, and all the operations dear to the horti- cultural heart; and then, while the Crotons, Palms, and Aralias are in greater beauty than ever, the beds, rockeries, pots, and trellises will be full of Coleuses, Caladiums, Achimenes, and Gloxinias ; of such fairy-like plants as Asparagus plumosus and Cissus discolor, and of a thousand other forms of the lovely vegetation only to be seen in native per- fection in tropical countries. H. Fly and maggot on plants. — This is the worst, or certainly one of the worst, years for maggot I ever remember, and whether the plants are indoors or out it seems to matter little, as all are affected to a certain degree. If my case is a general one, then makers and vendors of insecti- cides must be having a happy time of it, as a constant battle has to be waged to keep things at all clean, for if one looks at Peach trees under glass or on the open walls, there are the aphis, black or green, and the same with Cherries, the shoots ot which the former of the two flies seems to claim as its own. Plums have been no end of trouble, as no sooner have they been appa- rently cleared of one lot of the blue-grey aphis than they are almost as bad again, and the young leaves and tips of shoots get crippled in spite of all one can do. If we turn to the Currant bushes, it is just the same, but here, fortunately, we can be more than a match for the enemy, and make short work of him by snii>ping off just the tops of the branches, where the aphis mn.stly are, and throwing them on a fire. It is a long time since I had the Gooseberry bushes affected with llie caterpillar, but it has put in an appearance and e;iten portions of the leaves off the bushes before I was aware of its presence. Celery fly, I am thankful to say I have not. Cucumbers and Melons, like Peaches and Cherries, have been infested with black fly, or would have been so but for tlie fumigating. Broccoli and all the Brassica tribe are affected by the root maggot, and I have had to replant again and again. In doing this I have every time thrown out with a trowel the soU before putting fresh plants in, but for all that the ma<'- got renews its attacks. Farmers, too, have been complaining loudly this season, as fly has spoiled their Kohl Rabi and Swedes, and fields have had to be reploughed and sown over again. — S. D. Ferns. MAIDEN-HAIR FERNS FOR CUTTING. The idea seems to have crept into the minds of everyone growing flowers for room decoration that some Maiden-hair Fern is necessary for mixing with them. I, too, love the greenery when mixed with flowers, but I do object to the use of Pern with some things. A Rose, for instance, looks far better when backed by its own green leave.s. A Carnation or Clove looks certainly best arranged with its own leaves. Fern fronds we must have, and the fronds of many Adiantums are peculiarly well adapted for this purpose. Our market growers have decided that A. cuneatum is the variety they will grow and will supply no other, so that this species has become the only credited plant worth attention for this purpose. In these notes I will describe a few kinds which can be grown for cutting, and which wUl at the same time give a greater variety and add a greater interest to the appearance of the house in which they ar3 grown. 1 would advise my readers to grow a variety of taller growing kinds ; their fronds will be found ever welcome for cutting. These plants are all very easily grown. One of the chief items of success is good drainage, for with- out this no plant can long remain a pleasure to anyone ; good soil, careful potting, and a plenti- ful supply of water to the roots, with an occa- sional light sprinkling with the .syringe, are necessary. The following kinds will be found very interesting, as they will produce a pleas- ing appearance in the house and will afford a variety : — A. AFFINB is a pretty species, producing its fronds from a creeping rhizome. The fronds are each about a foot or 18 inches high when well grown. They are some two or three times divided and rich deep green in colour. These fronds are valuable for mixing with flowers arranged in a good-sized vase ; pieces are also invaluable for mix- ing with flowers for shoulder sprays and wreaths, and they last a long time without fading. It will thrive well in the cool house fernery, being a native of New Zealand. A. CUNEATUM. — In spite of what I have said of this kind, I must on no account omit it from the most desirable kinds. The rich bright green of its fronds and the jet-black stipes render it very charming. Nothing can equal its beautiful fronds when used for bouquets and button-hole flowers, and that, too, in the winter months. It thrives best in moderate warmth. It is widely spread throughout Brazil. A. E.xcisuM and its variety are both very hand- some plants, partaking somewhat of the characters of A. cuneatum and A. concinnum. The latter plant, however, is excluded from this enumeration. The fronds of A. excisum are three or four times divided and from a foot to IH inches in length. The variety makes beautiful tassels some A inches long or more, and the fronds are very beautiful when cut for mixing with flowers for the table. It requires stove heat, and comes from Chili. A. FOUMOSUM, a very handsome kind, as its name implies, grows to some H feet in height, but when the fronds are about half that size they are exceedingly useful for mixing with cut flowers, where their bright green pinnules and jet-black stipes are very charming. I cannot recommend this one for any other purpose. It is a cool house kind from Australia and New Zealand. At GUST 8, 1891.] THE GAKDEN. 131 A. GBACILLIMUM.— This is a singularly beautiful Fern, as will be seen by the illustration. It is, I think, a garden variety of A. cuneatum. Indeed, when I obtained the first batch of seedlings of it I was laughed at for continuing to prick them off. Perhaps I should not have been so assiduous had I not seen a seedling on the wall which was putting on the narrow beautiful fronds. It comes true from seed, and as a pot specimen nothing can be more beautiful; the fronds also are exquisite, covering the flowers with which they are arranged like a delicate green veil. The fronds should, however, be cut at the last moment, or be cut and submerged for twenty-four hours before using on account of being so delicate. The plant originated in Mr. B. S. Williams' nursery, and likes stove heat. A. GLAUCorHYLLDM.— An elegant cool house kind from Mexico. It also does well in the warmer house during the growing season. It is a small- growing plant with fronds several times divided, and the pinnules are somewhat leathery in texture, dark green on the upper side, glaucous beneath. A. Ghiesbkeghti is a bold handsome plant, erroneously named A. scutum when it first ap- A. PEDATUM. — I cannot allow this enumeration to pass without including in it the most beautiful species of Maiden- hair Fern that is grown, although despised by many because it is hardy. The plant is deciduous, and, therefore, not so useful as many of the kinds. North America. A. PEEUVIAXUM.— A bold-growing plant, making firm and hard pinnje with jet black stipes. This plant has now been introduced long enough to admit of its being grown for cutting. It is a warm house plant from Peru. A. Williams:. — This makes fronds some 2 feet or more long. The pinnn;. smaller than those of A. tenerum, are bright green, the stem being slightly clothed with farinose powder at the base. It is a cool house plant. W. H. Goweb. Chrysanthemums. PEDIGREE CHKYSANTHEMUMS. Early Vakieties. Mr. John Thorpe, of New York, who is well kaown aa one of the most enterprisins; and dili- Adiantnm gracillimum. flowers all standing face upward. In the other the foliage was more delicate, and the stems were weak and bent down under the weight of flower- huds. In both cases the influence of the male parent could be noted in the character of the bloom, although the Gloriosum type of flower seemed to be the most prevalent. From a list of new Chrysanthemums recently to hand it would appear that tlie varieties above named were not the only ones that have been so treated, and that Mme. Desgrange, another favourite early Chrysanthemum, has been use- fully called into requisition by Mr. J. Thorpe. Under the heading of Pedigree Chrysanthe- mums, new early varieties, Mr. Thorpe an- nounces for distribution nine seedlings obtained by him in this way. Considering the competi- tion that exists in every branch of Chrysanthe- mum raising, it is of service to indicate briefly tliose varieties emanating from the other side of the Atlantic, so that when they become com- mon iu this country there may lie no danger of their being confounded with the early varieties sent over this season from France. Mr. Thorpe's flowers are : — BoJci-ii (Nichols X Gloriosum).— Rich chrome- yellow, rellexed ; flowering October 5. Espt-ratKa (Gloriosum x Nichols) — Blush, with creamy white centre, reflexed ; flowering October 10. Jiiirus (Gloriosum X Roi des Precoces). — Rich red-bronz?, reflexed ; flowering October 5. i'V /■('«;« (Gloriosum x Desgrange). — Bright yel- low ; flowering October 5. Putomac (Roi des Precoces x Nichols). — Bronze-red and gold, reflexed ; flowering Septem- ber 20. Russell (D.ifgrange x Nichols). — Snowy white, reflexed ; flowering October "i. SiUie Mi-Clellarul (Nichols x Desgrange). — Blush-white ; flowering October 5. S-ilrator (Roi des Prcooces x Gloriosum) — Rich crimson-r«d, reflexed ; flowering October 5. Stratlimentli (Nichols x Desgrange). - Rose- pink; flowering September 28. It ha.s been alleged that the hot dry summers of the United States are unfavourabletothesatis- factory development of early-floweriug Chrysan- themums when grown in the open border, but there is no doubt that iu England there is a good fi-jld open to those who can produce de- sirable additions to that section, and the result of the flowering of the above-mentioned varieties may be awaited with some degree of interest by those lovers of the popular autumn flower who desire to grow them without the aid of glass. ClIRYSANTH. peared in our collections. This was at a time when Ferns had a good hold upon the public. The fronds grow some 2 feet in length, the pinnte numerous, large, and soft pale green in colour. It is invalu- able for cutting for table decoration. A stove Fern from the West Indies. A. TKSERU.M. — The fronds of this plant as well as those of the last-named form fine objects for set- ting up with cut flowers in a vase, and for this pur- pose should be submerged in water for a night or more before they are used. The young pinnules are soft crimson and very elegant. Widely distri- buted in tropical America. A. TRAi'EziFORME. — A fine, bold- growing plant, one with large pinnules, and producing fronds some 2 feet and 3 feet high. This is quite distinct from any other species named here, and it may be cut and used for mixing with Grasses and flowers in the winter months. There are several others somewhat like this which may be similarly used. A. siACBOi-iiYLLDXi. — An erect - growing plant possessed of much beauty. The fronds, which vary from 10 inches to 20 inches high, are pinnate, the pinnai being red or crimson when young, changing with age to pale green, and becoming of good thick substance. A warm liouse plant from Jamaica and other West Indian Islands. •rent Clirysanthemum growers and raisers in the United States, has been for some years past much interested in making experiments in mat- ters concerning the raising of new varieties from seed. Cross-fertilisation has particularly ob- tained a share of liis attention, and it is instruc- tive to record what one of the American papers said in regard to his seedlings last season, whicli was as follows : — Among the numerous seedling Chrysanthemums raised by Mr. Thorpe there was a long frame filled with plants which liad been produced by crossing the varieties Roi des Pri^coces and Gloriosum. With half of these seedlings Gloriosum was used as the seed parent, while Roi des Precoces furnished the pollen. With the other half the process was re- versed, Gloriosum in this case furnishing the pollen, the early variety being used as the seed parent. The plants were not mixed indiscriminately, but the seedlings of each kind were massed together, and the striking fact which appeared was that the line between these two classes of seedlings was as dis- tinctly marked as if they had been different species of plants. At one end of the frame the plants which had originated with Roi des Precoces as the mother plant Vii-l bold foliage and stiff stems with the MULCHING AND WATERING. Up to the present gardeners have been having rather a good time of it so far as their escape from watering is concerned, as steady rains have been general and freijuent. Although we have been so favoured thus far, we cannot expect it to go on, and now that August has set in the chances are that we may have a dry time. If so, things will soon suffer, for it is surprising how quickly plants adapt themselves to circumstances, and instead of driving their roots down, as they are compelled to do in ordinary seasons, they have been lazily keep- ing near the surface, as they find plenty of mois- ture there, but as soon as this evaporates or is dispersed then comes the pinch. To prevent this I would strongly advise mulching, especially in all cases where the land is light and drainage free, as when we get great heat it is impossible for plants to hold their own unless the roots have some protection. Nothing affords this so well as a mulching, and for fruit trees in bearing half rotten manure is the best material to use, as besides its great utility as a mulch it acts as a welcome stimu- lant, for every time it rains or when water is given a portion of its juices is carried down and is at once available for the trees. Some people water without having recourse to mulching, but though it may do good at times it is frequently productive of more harm, as, like the (juickly recurring rains, 132 THE GARDEN. [August 8, 1891. it draws the roots to the surface, and, worse than that, it causes the surface to become washed, and cracked after, when in rushes the air and out rushes the moisture. This evil I have seen again and again, and knowing the mischief it causes I urge on all to mulch first and water after, for the two should always go hand in hand, anrl then the beneficial results will soon be ap- parent. For trees that are heavily laden, or have good crops of fruit on them, sewage or liquid manure should be applied, but whenever used, a good soaking ought always to be given that the soil may be thoroughly wetted, and the same with water, as driblets are almost worse than useless, for reasons already given. For Peas and Scarlet Runners, fresh stable manure that has not much straw in it is very suitable, but almost any littery matter will answer the purpose for laying along up each side of the rows, to which it should be brought up close and spread out 18 inches or so wide. By applying it in this way, it will be found that both Peas and Scarlet Runners will last double the time In bearing and yield much finer crops. Manure for flower beds is objectionable on account of its appearance, but either cocoa-nut fibre, which is cheap, or leaf soil, which is better, should be laid over beds or around plants that require water, and then their flowering will be prolonged for some time. Where seaweed can be obtained, that is the best for Celery, which is fond of a little salt. The seaweed prevents the attacks of slugs or worms, and is thus useful in keeping the heads of Celery free from the damage they cause. S. D. Trees and Shrubs. SPIR.FAS IN FLOWER. From early in the spring till late in the summer the different Spiraeas yield a display of bloom, but perhaps the most valuable are those that flower during July, at which time flowering shrubs are not nearly so numerous as earlier in the season. A noble species rather later than usual thi.s year in opening is the North American S. ariiefolia, one of the largest of the genus, which reaches a height of 8 feet to 10 feet, forming a freely branched shrub. The flowers, which are borne in large plume-like panicles, are of a creamy white colour, and a speci- men profusely laden with them is most beautiful. As an isolated shrub on the lawn it is seen to very great advantage, and from the light plume-like character of its inflorescence these feathery masses are stirred by every breeze. Another rather later in blooming than this last, but equally suitable for a single specimen, is the Himalayan S. Lindleyana, which forms one of a small group of shrubby Spirseas with pinnate leaves. This is even taller than the last named, as it will in good soil reach a height of 10 feet to li feet, and if it is planted as a single specimen, it will soon push up a number of stems, so that it forms (juite a large mass. The minor branches dispose themselves in a very grace- ful manner, and being clothed with their elegant pinnate foliage, a specimen of it is very handsome throughout the summer, and of course additionally so when the branches are terminated by the large loose panicles of whitish blcsfoms. While it will in some districts bloom during July, in others it does not flower till August. In planting this Spirsca, if an isolated positii m cannot be assigned it, the plant must not be too much crowded up, as ample space sliould be allowed for its full develop- ment. Besides this pinnate-leaved species of Spiraea, there are only two others of a shrubby character. The first of these is the Siberian S. sorbifolia, and the second, which is known under the names of grandiflora, I'allasi, and alpina, is usually regarded as a variety of S. sorbifolia. This reaches a height of -i feet to 0 feet, and is clothed with large pin- nate bright green leaves, while the small white flowers are borne in terminal panicles. The variety differs therefrom in being somewhat less in stature, while the flowers are a good deal larger, but are arranged more thinly on the panicles. These two flower, as a rule, some time before S. Lindleyana. A diflicult class to deal with is S japonica, or callosa, as it is more frequently called, and its numerous varieties, of which there are a great many in our gardens. In some forms of this the blooms, which are borne in flattened corymbs, are very brightly coloured, while in one variety (alba) they are pure white. The deepest coloured varie- ties are those usually known as rubra or superba, while paniculata and p. rubra have the flowers ar- ranged in branching panicles instead of the flat- tened corymbs of tlie others. In all the varieties of S. japonica or callosa, except alba, the young leaves are so brightly coloured as to form a very attractive feature. 8 Bumalda, which is evidently but a form of the last named species, is one of the most beautiful dwarf growing July flowering shrubs we possess. This assumes the character of a dense- branched mass, usually under a couple of feet high, whose principal shoots are all terminated by flattened clusters of pink blossoms. A very beauti- ful group might be formed of the varieties of S. ja- ponica alone, and in this case S. Bumalda would make a good edging to the larger forms. There is a variety of this with variegated leaves, but it is at best patchy in appearance, and, to my mind, not nearly so pleasing as the ordinary green-leaved form, but upon this point opinions certainly differ, as an illustration (if which I may mention that a first-class certificate was last year bestowed upon it by the Royal Horticultural Society. A very beautiful Spirrca, and one entitled to a place among the best half dozen members of the genus, is S. Douglasi, the only shrubby species of which a coloured plate hasappeared in The Garden, March 17, 1883. This forms a mass of thickly packed upright shoots, clothed with leaves more or less tomentose underneath, and terminated by dense spikes of blossoms, which in the best form are of a beautiful reddish-pink colour, but in this respect some are much inferior to others. Some of the palest are very probably hybrids between this and the allied S. salicifolia, whose blossoms are very light in colour. In a moist and at the same time sunny spot S. Douglasi will grow and flower throughout the summer, and from this feature alone it is very valuable. Spiraea nutans is a pretty July flowering species, less showy certainly than some of the preceding. This, which is a native of Nepaul, forms a bush t; feet or 8 feet high, whose principal branches, upright at first, droop towards the points, while the minor branchlets are still more pendulous. The leaves are small, ovate in shape, and of a rather light green tint, while the pure white flowers are arranged in dense flattened clusters, which extend for some distance along the shoots, and thus make a goodly show. The last to mention of these shrubby 8pir;cas now in bloom is the miniature S. buUata or crispi- folia, which forms a dense mass not more than 1 foot high with very dark green curiously puckered leaves, which are just now almost hidden owing to the great profusion ol' its pretty carmine-pink blos- soms. They are borne in dense clusters on the point of every shoot, and in the bud state are of a bright crimson colour. It is one of those shrubs that should never be planted in tlie mi.-?ed shrub- bery border, where it lias to struggle for supremacy with other and more vigorous subjects, but as a rockwork plant, or when associated with other miniature shrubs, it is seen to very great advantage. A cool moist soil, such as is suitable lor many of the low-growing Ericace:i!, will just suit this Spirica, so that it may olten with advantage be associated with them. T. SOME TREES AND SHRUBS AT WALTHAM CROSS. The poverty of the average garden shrubbery is never more apparent than when walking through a nursery where the choicer beautiful hardy trees and shrubs are to be seen, and although a recent visit to the above nurseries was ostensibly to see the Roses, it was hardly possible to pass some things by without making a note of them. A beautiful tree for sm,-dl gardens exists in Kobinia semperflorens, which, by the way, merits the note written in its praise by " W. G." in Till'; Garden of July 25 (p. 74). If not so profuse in bloom, it is a great gain to have the flowering season extended throughout the summer months. Robinia angusti- folia elegans is all that the name implies, and a most graceful leaved hardy tree that would look charming in small gardens. The leaflets are very small, and the whole tree has a light, airy appear- ance. The tiolden Elder was noted as an effective plant when suitably placed, but the majority err in the use of variegated-leaved subjects by over-planting tliem, than which no greater mis- take could be made. Such things need to be planted with caution. An Elder that deserves notice and more extensive planting is a variety of the scarlet-fruited kind named Sambucusracemosa serratifoli.i. It was seen among the novelties received from the Continent this spring, and is a most striking shrub for leafage, each leaflet of the compound leaves being cut into segments an inch in length. It has all the vigour of the type. Two golden Elms that appeared well worth planting were Ulmus Wredi aurea, a very fine variety with a fastigiate or columnar habit of growth, whilst equally effective in colour, but with the branched spreading habit and more ample leafage of the Wych Elm, was one recently imported and called Van Houtte's Golden Elm. Ptelea trifoliata, itself by no means a common tree in gardens, was also represented by a yellow-leaved form of some merit. Everyone knows the common Yew, but here there were about fifty varieties, green and variegated, a novel variegation being noticed in a variety of the small-leaved \'ew (Taxus adpressa), which pro- duced young shoots entirely yellow. In a collec- tion of Ivies planted in open quarters and kept for propagating, a noticeable point was the adapta- bility of some of the larger leaved types for culti- vation as isolated specimens, forming pyramids of rich foliage. Visitor. Stove and Greenhouse. ADENANDRAS. This is a genua of evergreen greenhouse shrubs, comprising something like ten or a dozen species, all natives of the Cape of Good Hope. They are amongst the easiest of hard wooded subjects to cultivate, being freer growers than most green- house kinds. Like the Acacias, Genistas, and others of similar character, they are strong, vigorous rooters, and thus they are not liable to peri.sh or get otit of condition in the way that some of the New Holland hard-wooded plants are apt to do. Hence they are suitable for beginners in the cultivation of greenliouse subjects of a more permanent character to take in liand. The two kinds that have been most grown are .V. fragrans and A. speciosa ; both have bright pink flowers produced at the ex- tremities of the shoots. In form they are not unlike those of Pimelea Hendersoni, equally dense, but they Iiave more stibstance in them. They are borne in such quantities as to almost hide the foliage. Few greenhouse hard-wooded plants possess the advantage of requiring little support, in the form of sticks and ties, to tlio extent that these Adenandra.^ do — a matter worthy of consideration on the score of labour, as well as on the less artilicial appearance of the plants. A. fragrans, as its name implies, has highly perfumed flowers, so much .so, that a small example when in bloonv will scent a large greenhouse. The all but exclusion of this and some other old-fashioned hard-wooded species from plant houses at the present time is a decilants are only wantc